Last week on Top Chef 5, the chefs had to team up to create a course centered on the theme of “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” for Top Chef judge Gail Simmons' bridal shower. Unsurprisingly, old and borrowed were the most successful concepts (after all, tradition and fusion are pretty solid culinary paths to take) while new and blue wound up in the bottom for the judges. But what about where it really counts, namely this column? Who was Gourmet and who was No Way?

And it's time to bring back that ever-popular third category: “Meh.

Well of course. Well-cooked and well-spiced protein, interesting textures for the veg, it was a no brainer that Team Borrowed would come out on top with their Lamb marinated in curry spices, carrot puree and kale. My only question from this episode was did Ariane Duarte win solely on how her lamb was cooked or did the marinade play a part? If so, it sounded like Radhika Desai should have gotten in on that love too.


Although Jeff McInnis's savory tomato sorbet was called out as delicious and Hosea Rosenberg's gazpacho seemed solid, Stefan Richter's terrine seemed kind of ho-hum, so I felt like overall this tomato trio dish landed in the middle. I was a bit disappointed that Stefan wound up being the weak point. I know he's being built up to be a villain, but personally I like my chefs arrogant and abrasive, so of course he's one of my favorites. However, in order to earn your right to be arrogant and abrasive, you have to have the skillz, so he better get back on track if he wants to continue to win my heart with more success than he's having with Jamie Lauren.


Honestly, a Meh for Team Blue (Fabio Viviani, Leah Cohen and Melissa Harrison) is probably high praise. Had they made the same mistake as Team New and gone all bananas with the concept, they probably would have lost a person to elimination. Risk-taking with a concept of blue seems like a fast-track to Horribly Horribly Wrong Land. By playing it too safe with their blue corn-encrusted sea bass, roasted corn and Swiss chard, they lost the battle but survived to fight another day.


And finally Team New, Carla Hall, Eugene Villiatora and eliminated chef Danny Gagnon.  Oh my. I need a nap just think of all of the components in this dish of chili sticky rice, yuzu ginger granite, peach-miso barbeque and frisee salad with mushrooms in a wonton. If this were a dress on Project Runway, Tim Gunn would be standing back, chin in hands, saying worriedly, “That's a lot of look.” The team seemed to lack the kind of effective leadership combined culinary sophistication that could have reined this in. It seems pretty consistent among viewers that they felt like the judges made the right call on this episode of Top Chef.

- Leslie Seaton, BuddyTV Staff Columnist.  Check out what I'm cooking this week on Three-Bowls.com!
(Images courtesy of BravoTV)