Top Chef All Stars, Season Finale, Part 3: Review and Rankings

Mikey Goes After Antonia

I don’t know if I’m just getting used to the fact that Quickfire Challenges have completely gone down the tubes or if I was genuinely entertained by this QF farce.

When the remaining three chefs (Richard Blais, Mike Isabella and Antonia Lofaso) arrived at the kitchen, Wolfgang Puck was waiting with Padma.  They were prepared to lead the chefs on a nasty trip down memory lane.  The focus of the QF was to bring back seven “classic” QF challenges and have the chefs choose among them for the other chefs.  Since Mikey won the EC last episode, he got to pick first.  Rather than going after Richard, however, Mike decided to bring down Antonia, his “cousin”.

He made his reasoning abundantly clear: he thinks that she is the weakest link and if he brings her down, then he will go to the final to face Richard.  Antonia saw this immediately and reacted accordingly.

This brings up once again the reprehensible streak of misogyny that Mike has shown ever since Season 6 when he mercilessly attacked Robin.  We have seen it again this season over and over.  Mike obviously doesn’t see it.  He acts as if he speaks for everyone.  It is sad, especially in relation to Antonia, who has been one of the most likeable competitors in the history of the show (Carla Hall notwithstanding).

The seven “classic” QF challenges were represented in: hot dogs, tacos, potatoes, one-pot wonder, canned and dry goods, desserts and pasta.

Mike immediately assigned Antonia canned and dry goods, a difficult challenge, but not as bad as it might seem.  Antonia then gave Richard hot dogs and Richard gave Mike the one-pot wonder.  Antonia was quite surprised by this, saying that it left the entire spectrum of food open to him.  While this is true, Mike also flourishes on composed dishes and this is slightly out of his wheel-house.

After the cooking started, Padma returned and announced that they were now going to add in a classic QF “twist”.  Uh-oh.  Dumb and Dumber.  The three twists, assigned in reverse order were:  Richard assigned Mike the twist of cooking with no utensils, Antonia gave Richard cooking with one hand, and that left Antonia to cook tied together with someone else, who turned out to be Carla.  If the twist had happened earlier, Mike would have been the one with the biggest disadvantage, but since he’d already finished all of his chopping, he was able to just stand around and gloat at the others.  Very annoying.  Richard probably had the most difficult time of the three and it seems rather obvious to me that he had the worst dish of the three.

What I found amazing is that Mike completely ignored doing a one-pot wonder.  Okay, he did braise his pork in a pressure cooker, but he clearly had a second pot cooking and the salad was composed completely separately.  In other words, he did not produce a one-pot dish and should have been automatically disqualified from the win.  I guess it just shows how much contempt the producers have for the QF challenge that they don’t even care if someone breaks the rules.  This is odd, since they actually enforced the rules earlier in the season.  You’d think that rules would be even more important at this point.  But, oh well.

The EC was another challenge brought back from the past:  cook a great chef what they would wish as their last supper (the final meal of their lives). 

Once again, with the QF win, Mikey gets to pick and plunges the dagger into Antonia up to the hilt.  He assigned her Morimoto, a highly regarded Japanese chef.  Japanese food is not in Antonia’s comfort zone.  While many American chefs who have trained can cook good Japanese food, someone who has not studied it is at an extreme disadvantage.  And then later, he had the guts to tell her that he thought she had the easiest assignment. Kudos to Antonia for laughing in MIkey's face.

He assigned Richard Wolfgang Puck and he himself took Michelle Bernstein (“one of the greatest women chefs in America”).

Surprisingly, Michelle Bernstein chose fried chicken, with biscuits and gravy.  That really threw me off and I’m sure it also caught Mike off guard.  Wolfgang Puck, of course, went with goulash with spätzle and apple strudel.

Although Richard worried about his strudel, it wasn’t that far off from his comfort zone and he nailed everything but the spätzle, which was a little dry.  Having been married to a German woman, I know that the spätzle is a very important part of the recipe, but even so, the other successes outweighed the one flaw and got Richard the win.

So, even though Antonia had the most difficult time with her Janapese plate, it was pre-ordained that the bottom two would have a cook-off to determine who was moving on with Richard.  Both Mike and Antonia were asked to create a “bite” of food to determine the winner.

I was really happy that this twist put an unbalanced challenge back on pace and gave Antonia a chance to knock out Mike.  At that point, I was openly rooting for her to kick his butt – and the results were very close indeed.  However, Antonia was eliminated.

I’ve got to say that I really feel badly for her.  She made a great run and really performed above her level in Season 4, when she also made the finals.  I really wish her nothing but the best and I hope that she wins fan favorite.

So now, Mike and Richard move on and my rankings shouldn’t be a surprise, especially with only two to rank.

1.    Richard Blais.

I think that Blais is clearly the best, on any level that you might put out there.

2.   Mike Isabella.

He has brought a lot to the finals and has been much more impressive than ever before.  Unfortunately, that isn’t really saying a lot.  While it’s possible that he may cook one meal better than Blais and win, I really doubt that he will ever be half the chef.

_____________________

Next week, I will give my season-ending rankings of the chefs.  This will not be in the order in which they were eliminated, but in the order that I think they probably should be ranked, independently of any reality television show.  It will be somewhat subjective, but I will also present solid reasons that I believe in the rankings.  There will certainly be some changes from the pre-seasons rankings – and those changes are a direct result of the performance in the show, but overall, it will simply be my subjective rankings.

Top Chef All Stars, Season Finale, Part 2: Review and Rankings

In a Funk

I am unsure of what to think about this last episode.  Maybe the finale is just running too long, but I couldn’t get excited about either challenge.

Most bizarre comment came from Mike:  “I’m finally getting back on track.”  Um, Mike, the only track you have ever spent much time on was in the middle of the pack.  He makes it sound like he once had this great run and then kind of slipped a little and now he’s back on top.  No.  It didn’t happen that way, either in your season or in this one.  You are riding high for the FIRST time, dude.

My love of Season 4 has been somewhat justified in seeing four selected to compete in this All Stars Season (Spike went off the trail early), including three who went way deep in the competition (Dale was a favorite up until a few weeks ago) and two in the final three, Antonia and Richard.

It was a real ho-hum Quickfire.  Make a hundred plates that all look and taste exactly the same.  Other than the time pressure, I found nothing particularly creative or even amusing about this challenge.  I mean, Antonia and Tiffany split $5,000 for a seared tenderloin with a chimichurri salad and lentils while Mike and Richard made pork Bolognese with macaroni and groused about the women winning.  Yeah, okay, it was hard to make macaroni in an hour, but it was also hard to plate 100 times 4 items.

This was not inspiring at all.

For the Elimination Challenge, the chefs were required to cook conch on a beach for the rich old members of the Nassau Yacht Club who are celebrating the 80th Anniversary of their founding by more extremely wealthy (mostly white) old people.  Another huge ho-hum.  I just expect a lot more out of the finals, but I’m probably expecting way too much.

The season has gone on long enough already.  Let’s have a winner.

Speaking of winners, Mike won again.  The way that he is mugging for the camera and looking all Spanky, I wonder if they didn’t tell him in advance, “Look Mike, you’re going to win this thing so gloat as much as you want.”

In what was clearly a major anti-climax, Tiffany was eliminated, something that should have happened at least six episodes ago.

Let’s get it over with!

1.    Richard Blais.

Mike may be winning most of these challenges, but Richard is still the better chef, more creative, with a broader base of knowledge and deeper pure skill.  Until Mike actually snatches the final win away, Richard simply must be ranked first.

2.   Mike Isabella.

I’m really tired of this guy.  He’s brought some serious preparation skills to this thing, but I’d still like nothing better than to have him fall on his Spanky face.

3.   Antonia Lofaso.

I still love Antonia and wish her the very best.  If I had my choice, she would win this thing, but I have my doubts that she can stand up to Mike and Richard.  Sorry.

Top Chef All Stars, Season Finale, Part 1: Review and Rankings

A Meal fit for a King (Of Junkanoo)  Welcome to the Bahamas

The finale took place in the beautiful Bahamas, starting with this first episode in Nassau.  Antonia arrived first, followed by Richard, Carla, Mike and Tiffany.  Richard had a small beard, which he said he wouldn't shave until he won.  His wife, Jazmin, was at that time about to have a baby girl named Embry.  Richard said the worst that could happen would be that he lost TC AND missed the birth of his baby.  Mike revealed that he had been sitting in at various DC restaurants, training and learning – and now believes he is a much better chef than when he left.

They arrived at Fort Charlotte (the largest of three forts located in Nassau) and Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio and Eric Ripert were waiting for them, along with past TC winners Michael Voltaggio, from Mike's Season 6, Kevin Sbraga, from Tiffany's S7, Stephanie Izard, from Richard and Antonia's S4, and Hosea Rosenberg, from Carla's S5.  The Quickfire Challenge was for the chefs to cook against their season winner head to head, with the winner of each contest winning $10,000.  Tom chose the proteins for the challenge and said that he wanted to see them featured.

When they opened their boxes, the S4 competitors had a rack of veal, S6 had a whole duck, S5 a leg of lamb and S7 pork hindquarters.  They were required to butcher the meat down and cook in 45 minutes.

Head to head, Kevin made Barbeque Pork, with Cilantro, Celery, Shaved Onion and a Citrus Salad, while Tiffany made Pork Stew, with Potatoes, Peppers, Citrus and Allspice.  The two dishes were very close in quality, but Tiffany was given the win.  ("I needed this! She tells Kevin")  From S5, Hosea made Braised Lamb in Red Chili Broth, with Olive, Mint, Goat Cheese and Rosemary Polenta, while Carla made Jollof Rice and Harisa Lamb, with Peppers, Onions and Lime.  Her rice was undercooked because of difficulty with the equipment.  She put it in with her soup and it didn't finish in time.  Hosea easily got the win.

From S4, Stephanie made Veal Scallopini, with Tapenade and a Poached Egg, while Antonia (who also had equipment issues) made Roasted Veal, Leek and Almond Puree, with Sauteed Mushrooms, Arugala, and Raisins.  Although there were problems with both dishes, Stephanie was given the win, in spite of her over-busy plate, because Antonia's meat was a little tough.  Richard made Seared Veal Loin and Braised Veal Cap, with Raisins, Carrots, Potatoes and Mushrooms and easily bested Stephanie's over-complicated dish.

Last of all, from S6, Michael V. made Duck Breast, with Duck Leg in Bacon Vinaigrette, with Burnt Leek and Coffee Pesto to go against Mike I. with Cashew-Dusted Spiced Duck Breast with Duck Leg and Mushroom Jus.  In a very close call, Mike I. was given the win.  In the aside interview, Mike was already beginning to crow over an impending victory over Blais.  Likewise, Richard seems to be worried about Mike I. beating Michael Voltaggio (which was actually quite a strong accomplishment).

The Elimination Challenge would happen the next day when the chefs were told that they would cook a meal for "Bahamian Royalty".   It is obvious that the contestants did not read up on the Bahamas before coming or they would have learned that the form of government is a constitutional parliamentary democracy.  There is no "Bahamian Royalty".   Nevertheless, all five chefs prepared as if they were cooking for it.  That evening, the chefs checked into their hotel and relaxed a little bit.  They stayed at The Cover Atlantis, a posh resort hotel near the beach.  One presumes this is also where their kitchen and Judge's Table were located, but no reference was made to that.  Richard revealed that if he were to win, he would like to start the restaurant of his dreams.  I had rather thought that he must be doing significantly well as a consultant and television personality, but we shall see which road his life follows.

The next day, the chefs were given two and a half hours to prep.  Richard, Mike and Antonia had planned refined meals, while Carla and Tiffany opted for simpler meals.  No big surprise there, but Mikey somehow used up all of the good karma he won in Episode 12 by demeaning Carla, Tiffany AND Antonia for cooking simple foods all season just to get to the finals.  Someone should give him a copy of the season just so that he can figure out what actually happened.

In the kitchen, Carla and Antonia shared a unguarded moment when Carla told Antonia, "I psyche myself out."  She went on to say (almost tearfully) that she does much better as an underdog and is cooking for all of the underdogs in the world.

When prep was finished, they were picked up with a police escort, sirens screaming.  They expected to be taken to a palace, but instead arrived in a restaurant district and stop at a noisy celebration.  It turned out that this was the end of Junkanoo, a Bahamian celebration similar to Carnival.  After an abortive attempt at dancing by Mike and a successful one by Carla, Tom showed up and revealed that the "royalty" they would be cooking for was the King of Junkanoo and his entourage and that they would be cooking in a small restaurant, Twin Brothers.  Tiffany thought that this change of plans would work to her advantage since she had planned a simpler dish all along.

I’m sure the producers were pleased with this swicheroo, but it didn’t resonate with me.  They’ve now had so many bait and switch situations that they are so old as to hardly be noticeable, just perhaps a bit annoying sometimes.  This one was not annoying, but it wasn’t inspired either.  A miss.

The chefs had one hour to cook at Twin Brothers, preparing for fifty diners.  Things went well until Antonia noticed one of the deep fryers smoking.  Carla tried to turn it down, but it caught fire and so the Nassau FD showed up to spray chemicals over stuff and ruin the food (although the smoke would have probably been enough to do that).  Waiting in a booth to find out what was going on, Richard grilled Antonia, who said flatly that she didn’t do anything.  In an aside interview, Richard revealed that he was trying to get into Antonia’s head and psyche her out a bit.  Bad form, but well… it is a game.  Richard just hasn’t played this way before and it was a disappointment to me.

Tom explained to them that the kitchen would have to be scrubbed down and that while that was going on, they would go back to the kitchen and re-prep with fresh ingredients.  Richard asked if they could change their dishes and Tom said that they could.  This amounted to a complete re-set of the challenge and put them all back on equal footing, something that Tiffany didn’t like.  I was happy with the change, however.

When they returned to the kitchen, Richard and Antonia decided to go with completely different dishes more appropriate to the diners, while Mike, Carla and Tiffany decided to stick with their original ideas.  Back at Twin Brothers, we discovered that Carla actually did decide to change her dish a little.  Instead of cooking medallions of pork, she decided to fry the entire tenderloin and then cut it to portions.  It became obvious that the exhaustion was beginning to catch up with everyone at this point and it became a matter of survival to deal with it.  Carla’s tenderloin came out raw in the middle, so she cut it and began trying to finish it on the grill.  It looked to me that the portions were way too big to be successful with that – I thought she should have cut the portions smaller (closer to what was actually on the plate).

When service was started, we were given descriptions of each dish and Gail Simmons joined the judges and the King for dinner.  Carla started the meal with Fried Pork Medallion, with Sweet Potato Puree, Apple Sauce and Apple Chip.   Ripert thought it was too sweet, more like a dessert, but Gail turned her medallion over and it was raw in the center.  Not good at all.

Antonia next served Crispy Shrimp and Grits, with Cilantro and Pickled Vegetables.  Ripert remarked that the shrimp was overcooked and Tom made a remark about Howard Johnson’s wanting their garnish back.  Gail thought the shrimp was buried and tasteless.  Once again, not a good reception.  Next, Mikey presented Sous Vide Chicken with Mushrooms, Yams, Lobster Sauce and Lobster Hash.  This dish was received well by everyone.  Richard followed with Roasted Lamb Loin and Malted Braised Leg with Pickled Turnip and Mustard.  The dish also featured a cannelloni wrapping lamb and it was also well-recieived, but Ripert did not like the cannelloni.

Tiffany served last with Roasted Spiced Pork Tenderloin, Dirty Rice, Curried Slaw and Tomato Jam.  While everything tasted okay, the judges felt there was a lack of inspiration and finesse in the dish.  Simple was what Tiffany went for, but it was too simple.

Dominic Armato has discussed his feeling that the judges have been moving away from creativity and toward taste as the final determination of success, but this decision on Tiffany, putting her in the bottom for a dish that essentially had nothing wrong with it but a lack of creativity makes me wonder if they are moving the creative aspect back for the finals.

In a cutaway between commercials, they showed the chefs discussing Richard’s theory about nuts.  He was comparing them to musical genres and offered the following comparisons:  Peanuts are like rock n’ roll, walnuts are like British rock, almonds are like ballet or classical and pistachios are like pop music and finally, that hazelnuts are “hippy nuts.”

I’ve actually given Richard’s Nut Theory a little thought while writing the first draft of this review and it seems to me that peanuts are rather more like folk music, rooted deeply in all the people.  I would say that walnuts could be rock, with pecans as British rock.  I can accept almonds as classical and hazelnuts as psychedelic rock, but I think that pistachios are probably closer to being experimental music.  What was really missing is that Cashews are definitely jazz.  I would also say that Brazil nuts were salsa or samba music.

While waiting for Judge’s Table, the chefs looked exhausted and mostly defeated.  Only Mike seemed to be pretty happy with where he was at.  Richard said that he hated everything that he was cooking and couldn’t tell if a dish was bad or good anymore.

It seems to me like he has let the show get into his head, much as he was trying to get into Antonia’s head.  Antonia, however, knew her dish had serious problems.  Carla also felt terrible, but since everyone else was feeling so bad, she tried to shake it off, saying that she just needed to keep doing her cooking.  Antonia stared down and remarked that that was her problem – this dish didn’t really represent her cooking.

As expected, at JT it was Carla, Antonia and Tiffany on the bottom and Richard and Mike on the top.  Mikey won the EC (no prizes this time), with Richard second.  When the three ladies were brought out at the end, the flaws in their dishes were rehashed and it was announced that Carla would go home.  Antonia dodged a bullet and somehow Tiffany survived yet again with a completely uninspiring dish.

Carla was tearful in her exit interviews, but she knew that the tenderloin was not acceptable and that her time had come.  She is one of those chefs who has a great comfort zone, a remarkable sweet spot as a cook, complex yet homey enough for anyone to want to eat.  But this is now the second time that she has tried to do something outside of that comfort zone, particularly by trying something new.  In the finals of S5, she had allowed Casey to talk her into doing something unfamiliar with the same result.  At one point, Carla even asked herself, “Why do I keep doing this?”

One of the major differences between Carla and Richard is that Richard thrives on inventing new dishes off the cuff and part of his strategy on TC is to pull stuff out of the air.  He did that again this episode by completely changing his dish before the second preparation.  I must say that I think it was this strategy that brought him down at the end of S4.  That season, I had expected him to arrive in the Bahamas with winning dishes ready at his fingertips, but in the end, he tried to pull something out of the air and had a bad day.  I don’t mean any offense to Stephanie, who is a terrific chef, but Richard was more creative than her and probably deserved TC that season.  He did choke.

Now we see Mikey coming in with recipes in his head, ready to execute them and Richard appears to be sticking with his strategy of invention.  These two must now be considered the favorites and it will be interesting in the final two episodes to see which will prevail.  Although it is still possible that Antonia will suddenly show up and blow something out of the water, it looks more and more like a showdown between Mike and Richard.

What IS Tiffany still doing here?

Next week, diving for ingredients and beach cooking.  YUM!

1.    Richard Blais.

Richard beat Stephanie head to head in the QF, with a dish that was considered quite superior, then managed to finish a strong second in the EC.  Creatively, I put him ahead of everyone left, but it remains to be seen if his psyche will be his undoing.  All of this talk of hating his food and not being able to tell if it is good or not shows me that he is very close to unraveling.  And with his strategy of pulling rabbits out of hats, it is very possible that he might come up empty at any moment.

2.   Mike Isabella.

That tendency of Richard’s to work off his cuff might turn to Mike’s advantage.  It appears that he worked hard during the period before the finale and has some recipes up his sleeve.  He may be a better game player than he appeared to be during the regular season.  But Mike also has this tendency to blank out mentally sometimes and do something dumb.  We’ll see which Mike makes it to the next episode.

3.   Antonia Lofaso.

Maybe Richard is in her head, maybe not, but she definitely blew both challenges this time out and put the great finish to the regular season in jeopardy.  She is definitely going to have to bring it this next episode just to survive and knock Tiffany out.  It is still possible that she will bust out a great meal and move back ahead of Mike, but for now, she must be considered third. 

4.   Tiffany Derry.

Well, you have to give Tiffany some credit for beating Kevin, but you really can’t give her that much.  It was a close call.  And after finally busting out a great dish to end the regular season, she moved back again with an uninspiring dish in the EC.  I’m afraid that when I do my final rankings of the 18 chefs based on creativity, knowledge, and technique, she will be ranked fairly low.

Sweet tweet! on Twitpic

Thanks, Padma!

Sweet tweet! on Twitpic

Top Chef All Stars Episode 12 Review and Rankings

They Liked Everything!

Spoiler Alert!

The final New York episode of Top Chef All Stars began with the remaining five chefs lamenting the loss of Dale, especially Richard Blais.  Dale and Richard have always been friends, excellent teammates and great competitors, so it is easy to understand why Richard would have wished Dale to continue to the end.

Tiffany remarked that it was at this point where she went home during her season and at this point she sort of acknowledges that she is fifth in this group of five.  In the bar afterwards, Antonia calls her daughter and remarks in the interview how much she misses her family (which turns out to be a bit of Elfin foreshadowing).

When the episode actually begins, it is morning at the chef house and they are all wondering what the last two challenges will be.  Antonia remarks that she thinks Padma is coming to the house to see them there and, of course, Padma immediately walks in on them.  Everyone is struck by Antonia’s prescience.

So the chefs join Padma on the roof and she tells them that they are going to go to Ellis Island.  When the chefs get aboard their ferry, a note from Padma informs them that their QF challenge will be to make a dish using only the ingredients that they find on the boat.  That means the snack bar and moans and groans from legions of fans lamenting yet another dumbed down QF challenge.  This season has certainly been full of them and it is quite frankly ridiculous to have another at this point in the season.  Almost as if the Elves recognized that this was a real dog of a challenge, they did not even offer any prizes for the winner, no advantage, nothing, nadda, zip.  That’s how important this multi-colored turkey was to them.

The guest judge, Dan Barber, was introduced and Carla had a good snicker about how a chef that was all about local, sustainable, fresh foods was judging a junk challenge.  Dan has a great reputation in the culinary world, well deserved, and we were all fortunate that he was a good sport about this part of the contest.

I won’t distinguish the QF any more other than to remark that all of the chefs thought that the other chefs were not making a good dish.  Richard criticized Carla for “slicing oranges” and Carla criticized Richard for making “a hot dog”.  Mike criticized Tiffany for making nachos, but his soup was so horrible that he admitted he wouldn’t serve it to his cat.  That part was a hoot.  The food – not as funny.  The highlight was Antonia’s humorous remarks about how they were all trying to inflate the value of their dishes (hers included).  I thought that was really amusing.  As if it mattered, Carla won, with Richard and Antonia in the top, so Mike, with his soup that would “sink the boat” (Dan’s words) and Tiffany were in the bottom.

Two quick notes before moving on: when Tiffany’s dish was on the bottom, she uttered a phrase that has not become a part of her tenure on TCAS.  “Pretty embarrassing.”  I hope we don’t have to hear it again.  On the other hand, when Carla won, she was her usual ecstatic self and in the interview she declared fervently, “TC Title!”  I’m sorry, but based on that QF, I would not arrive at the same conclusion.  Sorry.  (More with the editing, drat!)

Afterward, Padma and Dan introduced the EC by talking about Ellis Island and how important it was for a chef to know where they had come from.  They had hired a genealogist to trace the heritage of each of the five chefs and they had a notebook for each chef full of pictures and genealogical information.  The EC then was to cook a meal expressing each chef’s unique heritage.  To help the chefs plan their menus, they brought in family members of each chef.

This was the point at which the episode started to get good.

We begin with Carla’s husband, Matthew Lyons, a tall, good-looking man with a gentle spirit (I’ve had a little experience with Matthew, so I can vouch for what a terrific and balanced person he is.)  Then, Tiffany’s mother, Louisa Austin, appeared with a big fur coat and mother and daughter exchanged a tearful reunion.  I think the presence of her mother truly inspired Tiffany during this episode.  Mike’s mom, Joanne Isabella, also had a tearful reunion with her son.  For the first time, we begin to see a soft side to Mikey.  Antonia’s mother, Josette Lofaso, also appeared and melted Antonia’s heart (Antonia remarked that it made her want to curl up in a fetal position).  You can’t help but like Antonia and I personally hope that she wins fan favorite for this season.  Last of all, Richard’s wife Jazmin Blais showed up at five months pregnant and they certainly had a tender reunion.

It would be difficult not to react emotionally to these reunions – although there are certainly some cynics out there who felt that it was mainly manipulation of the viewers.  I am very attached to my family and I don’t really care if they were manipulating me or not, I was touched.  From this point on, you can also feel how close these five chefs have grown over the course of the season.  This isn’t at all like past seasons where the competition level was very intense and chefs were sniping at each other.  I believe that these chefs have grown close to and really care about each other.  (Okay, maybe not so much Mikey.)

The big reveal of this episode is that Antonia and Mike are distantly related through one line of their family trees.  They made a big deal about it throughout the rest of the episode, but it didn’t really resonate with me.  There were bigger things that hit me in this episode.

Before the EC was really started, there was another reveal: the winner will receive a 2011 Toyota Highlander Hybrid.  Here is yet another product placement, but just a little clumsy (as opposed to the Target placement) and of a much greater value than most prizes.  Apparently, there were no real obstacles in their shopping (money or time) and they were given a generous three hours to prepare.  Those kinds of rule relaxations allow the chefs to really sparkle and I’m very glad that there were no gimmicks or impediments introduced.

The EC was conducted at Giando on the Water, with a beautiful view of Manhattan.  The Chefs were convivial in the kitchen and the diners were convivial seated outside near the water.  Yes, New York can be very beautiful at night.

The first dish served was Mike Isabella’s Potato Gnocchi with Braised Pork, Shank Ragout and Whipped Burrata Cheese.  By this point, we have learned that Mike’s father left when he was very small, so he grew up without a strong male influence.  This might help to explain his tendency to be brash and gross – a way to cover up insecurities?  He learned to cook from his grandmother, who passed away some years ago, but he has avoided cooking Italian food ever since because it reminded him of his loss.  To his credit, he faces this issue and cooks a dish reminiscent of his grandmother’s recipe and knocks it out of the park.  Mike was very emotional in presenting the dish and everyone at the table was very impressed with the tenderness of the gnocchi and the all-round awesomeness of the dish.

Antonia was next with her Braised Veal with Rapini Leaf and Fava Bean Risotto.  She took a chance with the risotto as it has been a stumbling block for many past chefs, but she did a great job with everything and really wowed the diners with both the risotto and the veal, which virtually fell apart on top of the plate.

It was probably good that the types of cuisines were presented together.  There were two Italian dishes, Richard’s Irish/English food, followed by the two Southern dishes.

Richard presented Braised Short Ribs with Fried Bone Marrow, Potatoes, Corn Puree and Picked Glasswort.   After the two amazing dishes that came before it, people were quite surprised to hear Tom say that it was “alright”.  Jazmin Blais looked slightly alarmed to hear that, but Tom corrected himself by adding, “I mean its ALL RIGHT.” (as in ‘everything was good’).  It’s hard to tell from watching it if Tom meant the first or the second interpretation.  At the time, I was wondering just how restrained the judges were going to be with all of the family members present, but Tom did not make any further objections to the dish throughout the judging and Dan Barber and the other judges really seemed to like the dish, remarking especially how good the bone marrow was.  Tom even remarked at Judge’s Table that he would steal the glasswort recipe.

The fourth dish to be presented was Tiffany’s Braised Short Rib with Mustard Greens, Oxtail Marmalade and Okra in Rice.  She had been hesitant about cooking okra, because Tom has had a long-standing dislike of the “slime” in okra cooking.  It was another triumph that she worked the okra by frying it before plating to remove the slime.  Once again the food was excellent and it looked like a four-way tie.  Josette Lofaso actually asked if they had ever sent all five to the finals.  Tom and Padma shook their heads.

Carla presented the last dish, Braised Pork Shoulder, with Corn, Fried Grits, Pork Broth and Cheddar Biscuits.  Through talk at the table, it was revealed that Matthew met Carla on Match.com so that was a nice little freebie ad for that service.  They do make a nice couple.  So, everyone loved Carla’s food as much as the other four chefs.  Really, at this point, it seems to be a five-way tie and the judges admitted their consternation at making a decision whom to send home.

In an aside interview, Antonia reveals how good all of the dishes were and that she and Richard were really worried.  “Carla and Tiffany always have this, like ‘whatever happens, happens’ and Richard and I are like, “No!  That’s not true!”  I think that was part of the attitude among the most serious competitors of S4.  With Stephanie, Richard, Dale, Antonia, and Lisa, the competition was very fierce.  Of course, Antonia laughed while saying this, so it took the bite out of the statement.  But it’s true.

When all five competitors were called to Judge’s Table, there was nothing but praise from the judges, except for Tom’s mention that Carla’s corn was “on the tough side”.  Mike Isabella became very emotional in revealing why he did not cook Italian after his grandmother died.  It really touched both Carla and Tiffany.

Once the chefs were dismissed, there was a bit more criticism discussed by the judges.  Besides Carla’s corn being a little tough, Tom thought that her garnish got “lost in the broth”.  Gail thought that Antonia’s meat was just a tad salty, Dan remarked that he thought Mike could have plated just a slightly smaller portion of meat.  While Richard was generally praised, Padma complained that there weren’t enough greens on the plate.  Tiffany was the only one who didn’t get any criticism at all (at least that we were shown – we never know what ends up on the cutting room floor).

When the chefs were called back out, Antonia got the win, the car, and advancement to the Finale to be held in the Bahamas (Richard got a bitter beer face on that announcement – that was where he lost in the Finale of S4).  Mike was also declared safe, so the two “cousins” went to the stew room with great happiness and at the top of the pack.  Richard looked ill.

At this point, I felt like the producing got a little out of hand.  In order to create some drama, Tom addressed the three remaining chefs, praising their dishes and explaining how hard their decision was.  This made it seem like they were going to announce the elimination.  Making it even worse, Padma took a long look at Blais and said, “Richard, please pack your knives…”  You could see the anguish and frustration on Richard’s face and my heart stopped.  Padma concluded her phrase with, “…because you’re going to the finals.”  For just a moment, shock registered on Richard’s face and he uttered, “Why did…” then he stopped, said thanks and left.  In the aside interview, Richard asked, “Why would you do that to me – you know I’m crazy already?”

Why?  To create drama.  But it was clearly the cruelest thing that I’ve ever seen on Top Chef.  It offended me and still does.  Much as I love the show, sometimes I can’t help but hate the Magical Elves production team.  In this case, classless.

To add more drama, Padma faced off Carla and Tiffany, who were selected as the bottom two chefs.  Bleakly, she addressed each by name before saying, “You’re both going to the finals!”  Haha.  Yes.  Very Funny.  Thanks.

I’ve heard some people object to sending all five of them onward and in the Bravo blogs, Gail says that the judges had to fight with the producers to get them to agree to send all five.  I thought it was a good idea, especially given how good all of the meals apparently were.  Matthew has stated that everything was completely delicious and that he would not have been able to decide.  I’m good with it.

This was a feel-good episode that largely worked.  I’m always in favor of celebrating family and heritage, so, in general, I loved it.

Now, we move on the finals in the Bahamas.  It appears that there will be some sort of diving game where the chefs have to search under water for something (ingredients?  a protein?) and then the main challenge will be for each chef to cook against the winner of his or her season.  So that means we’ll be looking at Richard and Antonia against Stephanie, Mike against Michael Voltaggio, Tiffany against Kevin Sbarro and Carla against Hosea.  Let’s hope it’s good!

Top Chef Rankings Week 12

1.    Richard Blais.

Richard presented a very creative approach to a traditional dish.  The flavors were all there, the glasswort was fantastic and the nibble of fried bone marrow was, in the words of Matthew, “a little bit of love.”   Richard remains the odds on favorite to win it all.

2.   Antonia Lofaso.

Winning this challenge moves her ever so much closer to Richard.  She has performed so well throughout All Stars (with the exception of a few group challenges) that she flat out deserves to go all the way to the end.  The risotto was a major victory.  The preview for the Finale showed her crying, but everyone knows how the Elves love to manipulate their audience.

3.   Carla Hall.

Though she finished in the bottom this time, the bottom was so close to the top that she could have won if only one or two small things had been done differently.  She still could win it all, but not based on her orange QF win.

4.   Mike Isabella.

Mike appears to be gaining steam, but he is an inconsistent chef and one little slip could send him home at any time.  I was happy that he finally showed an emotional side and it explained a lot.  Good on Mikey.

5.   Tiffany Derry.

Finally, the girl cooked a great meal.  Granted, she was on the bottom, but she gets props for the same reason Carla did.  The fact that she got Tom to like okra is a major coup.  Let’s hope that she keeps performing well rather than falling back into the Tiffany who was just barely better than the worst.