May 28, 2008
Allright Top Chef, what's it going to be?
This isn't just the episode that takes us from the final five down to the four heading to Puerto Rico. It's also a sort of existential crossroads for the invested viewer. Is Top Chef going to affirm our underlying belief that the world is just, that hard work and consistent performance will ultimately be rewarded in the end? Or is this episode going to be another lesson that fate is ultimately fickle and that one bad night can undo a season's worth of good (or vice versa)?
In other words, she wrote, with nails bitten down to the quick, are Richard Blais and Stephanie Izard safe tonight??
May 27, 2008
They say pride goeth before a fall, so I am trying to not get too pleased with myself for guessing correctly the past two Top Chef 4 eliminated cheftestants, Dale Talde and Andrew D'Ambrosi. I would love to continue my streak, but I am afraid that emotion might cloud my judgment.
At this stage, there are five remaining cheftestants: Stephanie Izard, Richard Blais, Antonia Lofaso, Spike Mendelsohn and Lisa Fernandes. And I'll admit it: as much as I'd love to just be an impartial handicapper, coldly assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each chef while keeping in mind the little clues dropped by the editing and story arc creation, I can't help but want certain chefs to stay and others to go. So will I get my wish?
May 22, 2008
In the early episodes of the fourth season of Top Chef, Dale Talde seemed like a shoo-in for the finals. He, Richard Blais and Stephanie Izard were the only cheftestants with multiple elimination challenge victories, winning 8 of the 11 challenges so far.
BuddyTV spoke to Dale after his elimination on Top Chef. Though he is often outspoken and confrontational on the show, he is more than willing to accept total responsibility for his elimination. Additionally, Dale provides insight into his strategy and a passionate defense of his consistent use of Asian cuisine. Continue reading for the highlights of the interview and to listen to the full audio version.
May 21, 2008
This season of Top Chef started out so warm and friendly, but as the weeks have progressed, the chefs have found themselves not always capable of being on their best behavior.
Last week Lisa Fernandes made a desperate move to save herself by calling out the flaws of Andrew D'Ambrosi's dish, and while it's unlikely this had any effect on things, he was the chef to head home. (Since the show, Lisa has apparently has had remorse for her actions. The recently posted Bravo video of Spike Mendelsohn and Andrew watching that episode showed the two receiving a text to Andrew from Lisa, who apologized and called herself an a-hole.)
But don't fret: all that fellow-feeling and whatnot is taking place after the competition. For now, we still have plenty of tense moments left to savor. And I would have the feeling – even without the previews – that Lisa will find herself embroiled in them oncea again.
May 20, 2008
Last week on Top Chef 4, we said goodbye to spazz attack Andrew D'Ambrosi for his faux sushi that was a flop with the judges. Lisa Fernandes found herself in the bottom for the third time, but she's still beat out by Spike Mendelsohn, who's found himself in front of the judges four times defending his dish in the bottom rankings. That's the most of any cheftestant still left on Top Chef 4.
That said, he did also finally get his first win, mastering the salad in the Quickfire Challenge. And here's another interesting development about Spike's place in the competition.
May 19, 2008
Both Hell's Kitchen and Top Chef took on the idea of incorporating healthy elements into regular fare this week, although on Hell's Kitchen it was a minor detail (the faux meat snuck into the chef's taste test) and on Top Chef, it was the focal point of the elimination challenge.
This week also had Hell's Kitchen taking a turn at the palate challenge, which Top Chef covered a few weeks back. I have to say that I think Hell's Kitchen didn't quite handle this challenge as well as Top Chef did.
May 19, 2008
This week on Top Chef 4, the chefs had the challenge of making a healthy and hearty boxed lunch that would satisfy the appetites of police officers. Making healthy food feel as satisfying as a typical full-fat to-go lunch was challenging enough. The chefs were thrown an additional wrinkle when the prize for the Quickfire Challenge – won by Spike Mendelsohn – was to select ingredients that would then be off-limits to the other chefs. He picked some of the most fundamental lunch building blocks: bread, chicken, lettuce and tomatoes.
Unfortunately for Spike, it would seem that the idea that limitations can bring out the best creative solutions held true in this case. He might have had the pick of the supermarket, but he used it to a boring end, while his competitors surpassed him with their more limited options.
So of the dishes offered, whose looked the best (Gourmet!) and the worst (No Way!)?
May 15, 2008
I can admit when I am wrong, and I was wrong about last night's eliminated Top Chef contestant Andrew D'Ambrosi on two counts. For one, when I made my initial rankings for the season, I did not think he would go very far based on his bio, which seemed much lighter in serious fine dining experience than some of the others. For another, based on the first few bits of interviews I saw this season, I at first thought he was a hipster doofus who was simply posturing with all of his big talking.
Some might still feel that way, but for me, as we got to know him more during the season, it seemed to become clear that he wasn't really posturing; this was his real deal personality. And he also brought some good skills to the competition, and despite his big talk, seemed humble enough to put his head down and get to work when he was in team challenges. So by the time he was eliminated, I was thoroughly over on Team Andrew and was bummed that it was his time to go. He took some time to speak with us today and give us his take on his time on the show.