Topic: Top Chef New York Season 5

[marigold]

An interesting article:

'Top Chef' preview: Toby Young says he's not trying to be Simon Cowell

Last week on "Top Chef," new judge Toby Young, who some might remember as the author of "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People," came off as one eager-to-offend Brit.

Not unlike "American Idol" meanie Simon Cowell, actually. But Young, a former food critic with a resume full of food TV show appearances, says one-upping his fellow East Ender was not his aim. British people are just "rude," he says with a laugh. He fills us in on joining the cast, eating earthworms and what he misses most about food writing.

Watched your first episode last week. First question: Are you trying to be Simon Cowell?
I swear, I didn’t really go in thinking, “I’ll be the Simon Cowell” of “Top Chef.” I was just used to being a judge on British food shows where people are much more outspoken and rather rude. That’s the culture over here. I may come across as being this showboating bitch on “Top Chef,” but that was not my intention.

Oh, come now. You were pretty prepared. And it made for some memorable moments.
I honestly haven’t even seen them! I swear!

You told the Guardian: “You don't need an encyclopedic knowledge of food to make a convincing judge, so much as the ability to describe just how awful something tastes in a wide variety of different ways.”
True. But I will say that the producers went to great lengths to try and find some talented people. I will say the quality of the food wasn’t as good on Episode 7 [his first] as it was on Episode 12. But you’d expect it to get better as the series goes along. Generally, I was very impressed with just how good all the chefs on the show were.

How did you get involved with “Top Chef”?
I got the Bat signal and I was on the next plane virtually. They show it here in the U.K., so I had seen it and I was a fan.

You’ve actually appeared on a lot of food TV in the U.K. How do the U.S. shows stack up?
It’s very different doing a food show in America and doing one in Britain. I did a 20-part series for the BBC series called “Eating With the Enemy.” The budget for all 20 episodes was probably the budget for a single episode of “Top Chef.” It’s the difference between making a home movie in your backyard and going to Hollywood. “Top Chef” is a very smooth-running machine. All the people working there are incredibly professional and absolutely at the top of their game.

Which insect tasted the best?
The earthworms were surprisingly tasty. He had infused them with this tomato flavor. They were nice! I can easily imagine them catching on as an aperitif. People will be serving them at cocktail parties before you know it.

Did you get along with the other judges?
You know Padma kept hassling me for dates. It was like, “I’m married. Get off my case!” We hung out a bit at the wrap party after the 12th episode at a bar in Brooklyn, but apart from that I didn’t really see any of the other judges socially during production.

Who’s more discerning, Tom or Padma?
I think Padma actually describes herself as the show’s host. She’s very self-deprecating about that. She described herself to me as the Vanna White of “Top Chef.” But she weighs in, and she knows an impressive amount about food. She actually knows a good deal more about food than I do. And I was impressed by how authoritative Tom was. He’s like a walking encyclopedia. He really delivers his verdict like he’s on the Supreme Court. He’s Thurgood Marshall. There’s no dissenting.

Padma and former judge Ted Allen have talked about how long judging sessions can get. What was your longest?
There were several that we deliberated long and hard about. By the time I got there, there wasn’t any one contestant who was obviously weak. They were all pretty strong. So it was really hard to send anyone home. It’s not something anyone takes lightly.

Favorite guest judge?
Eric Ripert was very impressive. . . .

Everyone says him!
Well, it was great to meet him because he’s such a legend. He was really funny. I also met some other great chefs, too, but the episode we shot with him was particularly fun. You’ll see what I mean when it airs.

Do you miss being a critic?
I miss being fawned over by restaurateurs and chefs. When I was writing my column, I would almost always be recognized when I was in a restaurant, even if I was reviewing it and had booked under a fake name, so free stuff would start coming out of the kitchen on a conveyer belt, fantastic wines would be opened at my table. Now I can’t even get a reservation on the pizza joint on the corner.

But now you’re on TV. Things should start to perk up, right?
Maybe? You know, all writers are lazy. Just the idea of being paid to talk as opposed to write is very appealing for a writer. TV is a lot of fun. It’s fun interacting with the other judges and the contestants. After a while, you just relax into it and it’s a hoot.

Link to the article: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/01/top-chef-previe.html

[marigold]

An interesting article:

'Top Chef' Mixes It Up With New Judge

When I first heard that "Top Chef" judge Gail Simmons was leaving the cooking competition mid-season in order to plan and partake in her wedding, I got nervous. By no means am I her biggest fan. In fact, I think she adds very little spice to the judges' table, where she holds court alongside head judge Tom Colicchio and hostess with the mostess Padma Lakshmi. I just had this terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that she'd be replaced with someone even less appealing, or worse… British.

Don't get me wrong. I love Brits. Kate Winslet, David Beckham, Ricky Gervais, even Madonna when she assumes her faux accent. However, when it comes to British reality show judges, enough is enough. "American Idol's" Simon Cowell is undoubtedly the leader of the pack. Far behind in second place, you'll find Sharon Osbourne ("Rock of Love: Charm School"), and bringing up the rear is Sharon's former "America's Got Talent" cohort Piers Morgan. Each one of them is sarcastic, surly, and anything but sweet.

So, do we really need another one mucking up a credible program like "Top Chef" with their stale smackdowns? No! And especially not another Brit with a reputation as infamous as Gail's replacement, Toby Young, the failed Vanity Fair contributor turned food critic.

I, too, was suspicious. Then, I interviewed Young following his Bravo debut, and my opinion changed. Dramatically. Not only did I find his remarks thoughtful and on point, I also found myself quickly forgetting about Gail.

Perhaps you'll do the same. Or, perhaps you should learn to live with it because Toby Young is here to stay… at least for the remainder of the Season 5.

So, without further ado, meet "Top Chef's" tasty new treat:

Matt: How did you become interested in food?

Toby: I was asked if I wanted to write a restaurant column for Evening Standard Magazine in 2002, and I did that for five years. Over here, I didn't have any formal qualifications for the job -- I don't know what qualifications you need to have to be a food critic in America -- but in Britain it generally is a job just given to a journalist who's been working away for a few years.

So, would you not have considered food a passion of yours going into the job, or did it just land on your plate, no pun intended?

When I first took the job, I only received one note from my editor which was to never write more than a paragraph about the food on the grounds that… it's boring. And quite often, I would write more than a paragraph about what I'd eaten and it would always be cut by my editor, and she would say, "Tell me more about who else was in the restaurant and how hard is it to get a table and what was the décor like?"

Would you consider the writing and the critiquing more of the passion as opposed to the food, or did you grow into appreciating the food?

Well, I think I was fairly keen on food before I started writing the column, but I guess I developed a deeper love in the course of educating my palate.

You're married and have four kids. Who does the cooking in your home?

I used to cook before I got married, but my wife's a very good cook, so regretfully, I've given up.

And, you don't have to critique any of her dishes?

No, but I can tell you that Nigella Lawson, who is a chef, came to dinner at our house and my wife was so anxious -- not least [of all] because we had almost every other celebrity chef's cookbook on our bookshelf apart from Nigella's -- that I ran fast to the local book shop to buy one of Nigella's books so it could be prominently displayed in our kitchen.

How did you become involved with "Top Chef" and Bravo?

Well, I think I received a call out of the blue by one of the executive producers last year to ask if I’d be interested in appearing on the show, and I think the reason she thought of me is because I've been a judge on a few reality shows. I think any food critic, if they were asked if they wanted to appear as a judge on "Top Chef," would say yes. So the question isn't why I said yes. It is why did they ask me?

So you had no relationship with head judge Tom Colicchio or host Padma Lakshmi before the show began?

That is absolutely correct. I did once try to interview Padma for a British society magazine called Tattler, but she point-blank refused to be interviewed by me. But when we wrapped one of the episodes, Padma and I went out for a drink and she explained to me that it was because she was married to Salman [Rushdie] at the time, and he had forbidden her to be interviewed by me.

Do you think that your accent helped you land a spot at the judges' table?

America obviously has a penchant for British judges. I imagine so. None of the producers ever said to me, "We've been looking for a Brit." I've gotten a lot of [flack] from various American food critics since my debut last week including [from] Adam Platt -- the food critic of New York magazine -- and I dare say that they're all very cross that they weren't asked to appear as judges on "Top Chef." But, I think the reason why they asked a Brit is because we're much more outspoken and rude than our American counterparts. I imagine someone like Adam Platt would be very fair-minded, very judicious, and would spend several minutes advertising just how much he knew about each dish that was placed before him. And, as my old editor knows, that's very boring for people who just have a general interest in a subject.

After your debut last week, Tom wrote in his Bravo.com blog that you might have thought when you initially joined the show that you were there to be witty and sarcastic and take shots at everybody, but that things changed as you started filming more episodes and that you actually became involved with the program and that you were enjoying it and the food -- not just tossing out one-liners. Is that true?

Yeah, I think that is probably true. Tom is so serious about the show, and I think because he's the head judge, some of his seriousness may have rubbed off on me in the course of filming the episodes.

Since you joined "Top Chef" in the middle of the season, were you able to review the previous episodes to learn more about the chefs before you just jumped into the middle of things?

When I joined, they hadn't finished editing even the first episode of the current season, so it wasn't like I was able to sit down and watch the episodes that had been made already.

So, they weren't like, "FYI, Jamie cooks scallops every week"?

No, I went in completely unbriefed. Tom explained to me at the very beginning that you have to judge each dish entirely on its merit and you can't take the history of their contributions to the show up until that point into account in judging that dish or in deciding whether or not to throw them off the show. It has to be entirely [based] on their performance within the challenge.

Then does the Quickfire Challenge actually play a factor, or does it really just come down to the Elimination Challenge?

When it comes to eliminating the remaining contestants, the Quickfire is irrelevant. I've never tasted any of the Quickfire dishes.

How long are your actual deliberations?

Certainly a good deal longer than they appear on screen. There have been days when we've been in the studio 'til 4am. Sometimes there's a real disagreement about who to keep and who to eliminate.

Is it really up to you, Tom, and Padma, or do the producers have any influence?

It is entirely up to me, Tom, Padma, and the guest judge. The producers are incredibly circumspect.

Is it difficult for you to tell an aspiring master chef to pack his or her knives and go?

Or is that just part of the game? Fortunately, that's Padma's job. As the show progresses, you begin to have a bit of sympathy for the contestants, and it becomes harder to eliminate them each time, but one of the things the producers do discourage is for the judges to form any kind of personal relationships with the contestants.

So, is there zero contact with the contestants outside of the kitchen?

Zero.

How are ties broken? Does it come down to Tom because he's the head judge?

No. I can recall a couple of occasions in which there was a deadlock, and there isn't a formal procedure whereby in the event of deadlock Tom has the casting vote. If you're deadlocked at 4am and you have to take your kid to school at 8am the following day, you know, you just want to go home. You can appeal to different things like how closely the contestants have stuck to the brief. There are no hard and fast rules about how the judging should proceed. Obviously, you're judging them entirely on the dish they've produced, but even that doesn't mean that you necessarily get a clear answer. You're taking into account their technical expertise, their willingness to take risks, and not just how successfully-executed the dish in question is.

The message boards have lit up! Obviously, you're a polarizing figure. Why do you think that is?

I'm used to provoking a strong reaction, and this is nothing new. Generally speaking, I've always thought that if people initially take an immediate dislike to you, but are then gradually and grudgingly won 'round, they end up with a much deeper attachment than if they like you from the get-go. Now, whether people will be won 'round in the course of this show remains to be seen, but I hope they will.

I have a feeling that your name is going to appear at the top of a reality TV villains list come the end of the year.

That would be the fulfillment of my life's dream.

I'm noting some sarcasm there. You don't mind playing the villain?

I think it may have been Harry Truman who said, "Britain has lost an empire and has not yet found a role." But, in fact, we have found a role -- and it is to play villains on reality shows.

Obviously, some people are automatically against you because they miss Gail, but at the same time, there are a ton of people who are actually defending you and saying, "Hey, he's a critic, he's more qualified than an actual chef or a model/actress/cookbook author to critique these plates." Do you feel that you might be more qualified than any of the other judges?

[Sighs] I wouldn't say I'm more or less qualified. I think the only qualification you need to critique food is an educated palate and the ability to express yourself fairly concisely.

Are your remarks rehearsed, or are you just being who you are?

I lived in America for five years and at dinner parties, whenever I came out with a bon mot, I would always be accused of having written it beforehand, rehearsed it, and then recited it at the dinner party, which was never true. Similarly, it's not true that on "Top Chef" I rehearsed any of my lines beforehand. I think the reason people think that I do is only because I tend to speak in grammatically-correct sentences and that's partly just a hallmark of having had a decent British education. I think it's something so unusual in America -- particularly in informal context like making a remark at judges table or coming out with a witticism at a dinner party -- that people naturally assume you must have written down and memorized the line in question because it's just inconceivable you could have come up with something grammatically-correct and which sounds quite polished on the spot. But, actually, British people can do that. [Laughs]

On the last episode, you compared (eliminated contestant) Melissa's dish to cat food. Have you ever tasted cat food?

Uh, no I haven't. 

You also noticed a chink in her armor when you said she lacked self-confidence. Is that something all top chefs should aspire to have?

I think so, yes. I think part of becoming a really successful professional chef is acquiring a kernel of self-confidence, and that's something that doesn't come easily.

Have you made any of the chefs cry?

Not that I'm aware of. So far, I've only seen two of the episodes I am in.

Do you think that any of this season's contestants have the potential to become a top chef?

They need to be bold enough to take risks and not just strive for formal perfection.

Are there any other traits you think top chefs should aspire to have?

I think they need to have some personality, too.

Link to the article: http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/top-chef-mixes-it-up-with-new-judge--79

[TexasLady]

I just love this last article Marigold, thanks for finding it.  I was prepared not to like Toby Young, but I do. He brings a different perspective to the judging, I don't miss Gale.

[marigold]

I agree TL I really like Toby Young for being brutally honest I now have a sense of what the dishes are actually like

I don’t believe the judges should be trying to spare the chefs feelings that’s being dishonest

If it smells foul tastes like cat food they need to know don’t ever prepare that again they really need to know because apparently they don’t have a clue

As for Gail I really like her and thinks she is a real gem she has a lot of expertise as apposed to the beauty of Padma who I think makes a great host but not a judge

She has the worst time trying to even describle in a few words what she thinks I don't know if it's poor grammar but I have found myself saying huh what did she just say it didn't make any sense

Anyways I have babbled on forever love Toby Young

[marigold]

Toby Young's Blog:

A Cardinal Sin

As Tom says, it's all about the ingredients. Five years ago, I was the winning contestant in a British food reality show and the reason I won isn't because I'm a particularly accomplished chef - I'm not - but because I knew where to get the best ingredients. In a sense, it wasn't a level playing field. As the only food critic among the cheftestants I had an unfair advantage: I know just how important the ingredients are. The centrepiece of my winning dish was a beef fillet that I bought from Ludgates, probably the best butcher in London. It cost $120, which is a lot given that it only had to feed five people, but it was worth every cent. It had come from a cow that had been reared on Prince Charles' farm in Scotland. Our future king is famous for once having confessed that he liked talking to plants, and I joked at the time that the reason my cow tasted so good was because the grass it had eaten had been spoken to by Prince Charles himself.

In last night's episode of Top Chef, the contestants were lucky enough to work with some of the best ingredients in America - and, to be frank, the results should have been more spectacular. The best chefs, by a country mile, were Stefan, Jamie, and Carla, but they had a slight advantage in that they only had to cook chicken. Of course, chicken can be cooked a hundred different ways, but the way you cook it isn't dictated by the quality of the animal - at least, not primarily. I like my chicken on the bone with the skin on, but it's always going to taste better that way, irrespective of how it's reared.

Not so lamb and pork. Both teams decided to cut the fat off their protein and de-bone it, which would have been the right decision if the beasts in question had been of a lower quality. The point of preparing lamb in this way, for instance, and then tenderising it, marinating it and rolling it, is to try and pep it up a bit, not trusting in its natural flavour. But for these particular animals - lovingly reared in some of the nicest farmland in the country - it was a cardinal sin. It was the equivalent of taking a fillet of beef from Ludgates and then grinding it up and making a chili out of it.

In retrospect, I feel bad about saying Ariane can't cook, but I was angry about the sacrilegious treatment of the Stone Barns livestock. All of the chefs in Team Lamb and Team Pork screwed up, but she was the most culpable. By butchering, tenderising, and marinating

that lamb she turned what had been a very special ingredient into just another piece of meat.

In Ariane's defence, Padma pointed out that she can cook - she proved that earlier in the season. However, Tom made it clear to me from the get-go that when it comes to eliminations the judges have to base their decision entirely on the food that's been cooked in that round. We have to disregard everything they've done before, including the Quickfires in that episode. On that basis, I think we made the right call.

Link to the blog: http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/blogs/index.php?blog=toby_young&article=2009/01/a_cardinal_sin#breadcrumbs

[marigold]

  Tom Colicchio does not have a blog for us this week he is apparently traveling

[marigold]

Top Chef Burning Questions:

Ariane: "Leah Should Have Gone Home"

Bravotv.com: What did you think the Quickfire was going to be when you saw Hung? Were you a fan of his on Season 3?

You know I had no idea what to expect. I do remember seeing  all the canned ingredients and thinking what is going on??!!!

Bravotv.com: What made you pick Turkey Spam?

I thought of Gene. That is what he cooked in the house all the time!!

Bravotv.com: What was the inspiration for your dish? (Did you even know they made turkey spam?)

I thought of open face hot turkey sandwiches from the lunch cafeteria in catholic school. Had no idea. Never touched the stuff.

Bravotv.com: What did you think of the guest judge Dan Barber and the farm challenge in general?

I was very excited. He is an inspiration!! The farm was just breathtaking! I hope to work on the farm with him in the spring!! Ill start with some butchering lessons!! Ha!

Bravotv.com: Be honest, did anyone think they'd actually have to kill the animals themselves?

I am sure that went through a few chefs' minds. And I am sure some would have enjoyed it!

Bravotv.com: Why did you decide to roll up the lamb?

I think Hosea and Leah were so afraid it wasn't going to cook in time. And that was what they had put in my head. Brainwashing I tell you!

Bravotv.com: Can you elaborate on the roast stringing incident?

I don't need to elaborate; Leah made a mess of it!!

Bravotv.com: Did you think Leah did a good job when she helped you?

No. 

Bravotv.com: Who do you think deserved to go home?

Leah

Bravotv.com: What did you think of the other teams' dishes?

Chicken did a good job! Clean seasonal flavors of the meat and veggies.

Bravotv.com: What do you think of your whole experience on the show?

I am so grateful for the experience. I am so glad to have had this once in a lifetime opportunity. It has inspired me to be the best I can be. My business will thrive. And to my cheftestants, every one of you is  a winner in my book, and I am proud to call you my friend!!

Bravotv.com: Where can your fans find info about you, your food? CulinAriane Restaurant, 33 Walnut Street Montclair. NJ 07042, We hope to see you all soon. And to my fans, thank you for all the love and support and really believing in me. DON'T FORGET  TO VOTE FOR ME FOR FAN FAVORITE!!

Link to the site: http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/blogs/index.php?blog=burning_questions_2&article=2009/01/ariane_leah_should_have_gone_g#breadcrumbs

[marigold]

Top Chef Judge Tom Colicchio Update:

"Today" show Tuesday, January 27  Tom Colicchio on "Today's Kitchen."

[apskip]

The Quickfire opens with season 3 winner Hung Huynh as the guest Quickfire-only judge. in his honor, Padma announces that the time limit is 15 minutes for prepare. Also there will be no fresh ingredients used for this challenge. Only canned and boxes ingredients from a huge pile on a large table can be used. The chefs work extra quickly and come up with these dishes:
 
Radhika - spicy red bean dip w/ grilled bread
Jaime - bruschetta w/ garbanzo beans, artichokes and smoked mussels
Carla - Asian salmon cake w/ fried green beans, and lemongraa-ginger mayo
Ariane - open face turkey spam sandwich w/gravy and cranberry-pineapple chutney
Leah - waffles w/ strawberries and sausage
Jeff - deep fried baby conch, coconut sauce, pina colada
Hosea - sweet pea soup w/spam, pork rinds and hearts of palm
Fabio -   artichoke and chili pepper mac and cheese
Stefan - baked bean soup w spam and grilled cheese and spam sandwich
 
Gaining the Worst category were Radhika, Leah and Jaime. A commonality was that there dishes were more like snacks to Hung. He expected a main dish.
In the Best category were Hosea, Stefan and Jeff. Hung judged Stefan's to be overall best, so Stefan wins immunity for the Elimination Challenge.
 
The Elimination Challenge is to create a fresh meal with seasonal ingredients for a family-style lunch with 16 diners. It is held at the Blue Hills at Stone Barn Food and Agricultural Center, a non-profit farm and educational center in Pocantico Hills NY. The guest judge for this is Dan Barber, the executive chef at the Blue Hills at Stone Barn restaurant which must be adjacent to the farm. It is one of the top restaurants in the U.S. and since I am slightly more than 60 minutes away I now want to eat there and check it out for myself.  The diners will be the farmers and their families and it is going to be a hot day with service on picnic tables outside. Teams will have 3 hours to cook.
 
Since there are 9 chefs left in the competition, the 3 teams of 3 concept was used. They were chosen by knife blade:
Team Pork - Radhika, Fabio, Jeff
Team Chicken - Jaime, Carla, Stefan
Team Lamb - Hosea, Leah, Ariane
 
Some time was spent showing the conflicts between Jaime and Stefan on the menu development. Stefan has earned the reputation as the chef that nobody else wants to work with. He is a take-it-or-leave-it guy (and must be difficult to work for in a real restaurant as a result) and seems to enjoy any conflict. The biggest issue is that he has no stake in the outcome since he is immune. Jaime argues that he should pipe down and accept the ideas of those who can get eliminated, Jaime and Carla. It is not clear starting the cooking that they worked it all out, but at the end there is a statement that a satisfactory compromise was reached.
 
Teams go to the parts of the Farm that correspond to their key protein. Team Pork went to visit the pigs. Team Chicken went to the chicken coop. In any event, when it is cooking time huge slabs of each of these proteins have been butchered earlier that day and are ready for the chefs to use. The biggest issue that happens is related to the choice of a roulade method of cooking for the baby lamb, Ariane's responsibility since she excelled at lamb in an earlier episode. That method requires careful tying of the rolls of lamb to make sure internal cooking is right. Ariane has never done this and does a poor job of it, so Leah volunteers and also does a poor job but at least gets it done. Hosea was standing on the sidelines for this and he had the most experience in tying but failed to step up and help get it right. Also, Radhika was criticized by Fabio for accomplishing little in the first cooking hour taking 1 hour to shuck, grill and scrape kernels off for 10 ears of corn. Team chicken had a battle over how light the soup should be for a hot day. They did not consider the "no soup" option which is what Tom Colicchio would have preferred; he also did not think heavy desserts were  a good idea in the heat. Ariane felt like the odd person out with Leah and Hosea who were doing a lot of flirting and cuddling, but Hosea publicly states nothing more.
 
The menus were:
Team Pork
Radhika - grilled corn salad w/ bacon; vanilla and lavendar-scented creme brulee
Fabio- sausage, zucchini and eggplant ravioli w/ pesto sauce
Jeff-fried green tomatoes w/ tomato jelly; seared pork loin;
 
Team Chicken
Jaime - chicken ravioli soup (actually consomme)
Carla - nectarine and strawberry tartlet w/ thyme crème and lemon zest
Stefan - chicken cutlet w/ mizuna corn, tomato and onion salad; lemon herb roasted chicken w/ tomato salad
 
Team Lamb
Hosea - rosemary and garlic-roasted potatoes, Swiss chard
Leah - heirloom tomato salad; summer trifle w/vanilla cream and Grand Marnier lemon pound cake
Ariane - herb rubbed roasted duo of lamb, seared/roasted and leg of lamb
 
The judges go to Judges Table to confer. The consensus is that Team Chicken had the best results(and  in counterbalance my opinion is that they also used the simplest menu). Carla's dessert was praised and the other two teams' desserts were criticized as too heavy. Many individuals were criticized for various sins. The lamb was judged to be a mess, so somebody had the most responsibility for that.  Jeff cut away the fat and the bone on the pork and the judges found that pretty heretical; you just don't do that with that type of pork or lamb. Toby says, "the pesto is the big, bad wolf". Tom after viewing the size of pieces and the pounding being done by Ariane to the lamb stated that "Once you have a nice large piece of meat on the bone, you don't want to remove it". The winners were Team Chicken and all members of that team were judged winners with no one chef singled out. Carla was pleased to finally be an Elimination Challenge winner but she succeeds with desserts and I don't view her as a rounded chef.
 
The group called for Worst  was all of Team Pork and all of Team Lamb. It was pretty clear early on that the lamb was so miserable that that team would be taking the brunt of criticism. Dan said "this lamb is a mess. "However, Toby referred to "pork blunders". Radhika was criticized for accomplishing little in 3 hours. It is interesting that the catchphrase for this episode was "Honor the Protein" yet no team came close to that standard. The audience was polled on which team did best on that. 63% said Team Lamb, so that shows how much you can be an armchair quarterback for a food show.
 
Team Pork was excused at the beginning of the callback, so Radhika's sins were thought less critical than focusing on the most guilty team. Jeff got praise for his fried green tomato dish, so you knew to wasn't going to be him. Leah's dishes were OK but her failure to help Ariane on tying was thought to be a big negative. Padma made an argument about Ariane's past accomplishments, but Toby countered that judging is only on what you eat at that meal and no credits should be given for past performance. That was the nail in Ariane's coffin although I am sure Toby did not target it at her. But when they came right down to it, Ariane was eliminated.
 
Next week is Restaurant Wars. They can't be doing 4 teams of 2 because there isn't room, so I expect to see 2 teams of 4 chefs each.

[marigold]

Thank you for the recap apskip

I don't why the chef's specifically the team lamb and pork completely misinterpreted the entire idea of the challenge

I don't know if they over thought it but how sad was it to see what they did with the protein

Is it not cooking 101 when you have an outstanding quality of meat to not tear it apart

I suppose the only thing worse they could have done was to make a stew out of it!!

[marigold]

An interview with Ariane:

Top Chef’s Ariane: ‘I Was Somebody to Reckon With’

Top Chef’s resident mom Ariane Duarte had her highs and lows—starting her Top Chef journey at the bottom, then going on to win several challenges along the way. When the 41-year-old chef was sent home Wednesday after the judges criticized her butchering skills, many – including her competitors—didn’t see the elimination coming. Calling from Verona, N.J., Duarte opened up about her newfound fame, what she proved to herself and her competitors and tackled our five burning questions.

You had both highs and lows on the show. Do you think the other chefs saw you as a fierce competitor?
Being on the bottom, nobody thought you could cook. Being able to come back and start [winning challenges] slowly with having the best turkey and winning the Today show [challenge], I think people realized I was somebody to reckon with. I think a lot of people were surprised that I left.

Were you? Did you know you were going home before the judges made their decision?
I really thought Radhika was going to go. I really don’t know what she did, but when you get that chance to speak up, she just didn’t. . . . [But when they] kept talking about the lamb, I was like, it was going to be me. At that point I knew it. Definitely I wasn’t ready to go, but I was okay with it. I came so far, and I did so well. I was proud.

Do you think your teammates should have stepped in more? Did one of them deserve to go home over you?
It wasn’t even a matter of stepping in. It was like they made the decisions and I had to follow them. I know how to break down lamb. I cook a lot of lamb and I eat whole lamb every Easter. Anything I said— like, “Let’s grill it! Let’s roast it!”—everything was “No, no, no!”

You talked about your family on the show. How are they reacting to your performance—and your newfound celebrity?
I have teenagers—a 13-year-old and an 11-year-old. Mom being away was hard, but they were so excited. They’re very popular in school [now]. I don’t know if they’re getting any special treatment—but they’re getting a lot of questions. It’s fun for them. They’re enjoying it.

Talk about how you’ve grown professionally. Are you more confident now?
For me to hold my head up [and] not start crying [after my elimination], that was when I knew it was good. Look at how far I’ve come. [Since Top Chef] I’ve used some ingredients I’ve never used before. After being in the business for 20 years and raising a family, it’s hard to travel or just get into that creative mode all the time for me. You just get stagnant. Being there really refreshed me—made me want to cook a lot more.

Our Top Chef 5 Burning Questions:

Describe your Top Chef experience in one word.
Intense

What is in your refrigerator right now?
A lot of berries. A lot of milk. Some Chinese fried rice.

Name one food you cannot stand.
I don’t know if I have one.

Pick your favorite fast-food restaurant.
White Castle.

Gail or Toby?
Gail - one hundred percent! That Toby had it out for me.

Link to the article: http://tvwatch.people.com/2009/01/16/top-chefs-ariane-i-was-somebody-to-reckon-with/

[marigold]

Colicchio has a blog up:

A Whetstone from Good Meat

"A clever cook, can make....good meat of a whetstone."

-Desiderius Erasmus, Dutch priest and scholar (1466?-1536)

And if they try to be too clever, they can make a whetstone from good meat.

This was an interesting episode, insofar as the Quickfire Challenge required cooking with the worst of ingredients while, in contrast, the Elimination Challenge provided the opportunity to work with the very best available anywhere. As Jamie said in dismay upon learning of the Quickfire Challenge, without great ingredients it's hard for chefs to do good work. This could not be more true.

It was my time in France over 20 years ago, working in the kitchen of Michel Bras, that taught me this lesson; what I began at Mondrian and continued at Gramercy Tavern really culminated in my conceiving of and opening Craft, which was created to focus on the ingredients and create meals that honor them. And, in doing so, it also honored the farmer. I work closely with farmers of small, local farms, and I make it a point to visit the farmer's market as often as possible, always striving to get the food from the ground to the table as quickly as possible. Being at the forefront of the Farm-to-Table movement, I have been so glad to see chefs like Dan Barber pick up the mantle, so I was excited that this week's Elimination Challenge would bring the cheftestants to his exceptional farm to cook. He and the farmers of Stone Farms, as well as we Top Chef judges, were really looking forward to seeing what the chefs would do with all of the amazing produce and lovingly raised animals. We were all let down.

The ethos at Craft is to take the finest ingredients available and prepare them as simply as possible, so that the flavors and textures of the ingredients themselves will shine. "Cooking simple" is like walking a tightrope without a net -- simplicity isn't as simple as it seems, because there's nothing to cover up mistakes; there are no heavy sauces to hide behind. It requires forethought about how best to help the ingredients sing. It requires skill and precision, and, of course, an abiding reverence for the elements themselves.

When animals are raised as they are at Stone Hill and are fed the right ingredients, you don't need to do a whole lot to them. You don't want to remove the flavor -- and moisture-rich fat from the pork -- that made no sense to anyone. And even worse, you don't want to take a beautiful leg of lamb, which was as tender as such meat could be, and do what Ariane did to that lamb. It was completely hacked up and then rolled. A chef would usually roll lesser ingredients, but here there were these muscles you'd want to keep intact. Ariane's treatment of the lamb showed no respect whatsoever for the animal that died to feed everyone. It was more than disappointing, it was upsetting, most of all to the farmers who had worked so hard to raise the produce and animals. It felt to them like their work just wasn't honored. The irony of Ariane's losing the Elimination Challenge with the very protein that had won her prior challenges is not lost on us. But the work of each chef is judged anew in each successive challenge, and while I certainly overstated in the first sentence of this blog, Ariane's performance this week made her the clear choice for elimination from the competition. I'm not thrilled that Leah and Hosea kicked back and did nothing while that meat was both literally and figuratively butchered right in front of them, but at the end of the day, she is the one who did the actual damage.

I will make one more point that did not come across in the episode, about Jeff's choice to make fried green tomatoes. I appreciate when a chef uses something that would otherwise go to waste and manages to create a fine dish. But this episode was shot at the height of tomato season. There is a narrow window of time in which to get a remarkable tomato. This was that time, and the vine-ripened tomatoes at Jeff's fingertips were among the finest to be found anywhere. Dishes with green tomatoes are usually made at the very start of tomato season before they've ripened or at the tail of the season with those that never did. So while I commend the impulse to create with ingredients that might otherwise be overlooked, I question the judgment of doing so under these circumstances.

Link to the blog: http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/blogs/index.php?blog=tom_colicchio&article=2009/01/gone_fishin_6#breadcrumbs

[marigold]

An interview with Ariane:

Top Chef Exit Interview: Ariane Gets Chopped, Maybe She'll Write A Cookbook

Wednesday’s Top Chef elimination was the ultimate shocker when Ariane and her knives were sent packing. The same chef who rose above a rocky start to win challenge after challenge was sent home for a butchering blunder proving you’re only as good as your last dish. Which, sadly for Ariane, wasn’t good enough. In a press phone call this morning, Ariane opened up about what went wrong in the kitchen, and clears the air on cooking lovebirds Hosea and Leah, and the Euro we all love to hate, Stefan.

You seemed pretty passionate that you shouldn’t have gone home. Do you still feel that way?
Of course! You know, I worked hard, I rose to the challenge, and I relied on my teammates. I was a team player and I just felt that maybe Leah should have went.

Leah? Not Hosea?
You know why I’m saying that now probably? Because I saw the show. I just felt like I went in there telling them what I knew and I think when it came to lamb I wanted to do it a certain way which would have been fine, just grilling it or roasting it. And I just kept getting “NOs” from them, instead wanting to braise it and take it off the bone, which I do know. It was the tying that I’m not good at and you only have so much time and when Leah said, ‘I can help you, I can help you,’ you believe it. You believe your teammate. So when she didn’t do a great job – I think the time just catches up with you in the moment and the pressure between the two of them, and me, the third wheel; it’s difficult.

Do you think that she didn’t help on purpose?
Watching the show you definitely get that intention, absolutely. I think when it was happening didn’t think so. I don’t know why, I would think we would want to win as team, why wouldn’t she want to help me? And maybe she thought she was doing a good job; I don’t know.

Everyone seemed really shocked when you were kicked off. Do you think they all thought Leah was going too?
I don’t think at that point anyone knew who was going to go. It was definitely up in the air. I think Hosea and Leah both thought that they didn’t do enough. I felt pretty confident; I worked hard and I always had that in my head. I did it, it tasted good, and everyone who tasted it really liked the lamb! So I just didn’t think I was going to be the one! So I think everybody was a little shocked. And plus I had such a good run and was on such a high; I had all those wins. I probably had some of the most wins.

How distracting was it working with such a tight couple? Was that a big factor in how it all turned out?
Absolutely. That was tough. When there are three people and two people already have a relationship, being that third wheel is not easy. Unless you’ve all been friends for 20 years. But it was hard because one would say yes, the other would say yes, and I would say something and it was always no. So it definitely played into it.

Do you still think that Hosea is a wimp?
No! I think I apologized to him already too or I need to!
At the judges table, Toby Young made a comment that you can’t cook and Padma kind of jumped to your defense – how did that make you feel?
Toby - I was a little surprised at that. He’s a little angry Englishman, I don’t know. But Padma - it was great; it was such a wonderful feeling hearing what Padma had said, which was great. What Toby said is forgotten in my mind already. Hearing Padma was really, really great.

Do you think the decision would have been different if Gail was still on the panel?
You know, I don’t know. And you know what, I hadn’t even thought of it. I don’t know, because she’s tough too! She’s just not as verbal as Toby. It could have gone either way but I don’t know and I can’t even think about it.

What did you think of the judging process? Do you think it was fair they based their decision on that one challenge instead of your work as a whole?
Yeah, I’m kind of disappointed that I pretty much got blamed for the lamb when every single one of us touched that lamb. But, you know, they’ve got to eliminate someone and they chose me, which looking back, maybe, I was doing the lamb the most. But it definitely was a team challenge and I think I took the biggest risk of doing that and I was definitely disappointed they called me out on it.

Now that you’ve watched it was it hard to experience all again?
It was a tough watch absolutely. I think first two episodes I couldn’t sleep knowing those were coming. This, I knew it was coming, and it was definitely hard to watch. It was more sad than difficult. I wasn’t ready to leave; I wish I was still in it. But I had the love and the support of my family and friends surrounding me and they know who I am.

Was it very difficult watching it with friends and family, not being able to say what’s about to happen?
When it happened I definitely surrounded myself with a lot of family and friends. I knew I had to watch it and I would just say “watch what happens!” But knowing that the episodes were going be great put me at ease. I knew I just had to get through those first two.

You mentioned the first two episodes were really tough to watch. But then you went from the bottom to the top and looking back, what happened in the end?
I definitely know what happened. I panicked. You get caught up and it’s almost like your mind plays tricks on you. It’s like an out of body experience, the time flies, and for me, all your ideas are gone and I don’t know where they went! But I know what I would do now and what I wouldn’t do. When I volunteered to do the desert, I said ‘who is that?!’ I don’t do deserts! I was having an out of body experience – who is that girl holding up her hand? That wasn’t me! So yeah, I would definitely do things in those first two episodes a little bit different.

Are you happy with Bravo’s portrayal of you?
Absolutely. That’s me. And the people who know me know that that was me. I really stayed true to myself and what you saw is who I am, so yes.

Have your perceptions of anyone changed, positively or negatively, after watching the show?
No, you know, I’m so not like that. I’ve really met some wonderful people and for me we’ll always be friends I’ll always know that if I need one of them, I can call them and it’s a competition, what happened in the past for me is over. Like I said, Hosea’s not a wimp. So I have no ill feelings for anyone.

We never saw you feeling as annoyed by Stefan as others. Did you find him abrasive or did you find him kind of amusing?
You know, he’s definitely amusing. And Stefan always had my back. He always stood by me and gave me words of confidence and for that, I never found him annoying. Was he annoying? Yeah. But stuff like that, I can roll off back, and I just knew he always had good words for me and positive words for me, and in the beginning, even when we were competing against each other, he’d still say “you’ll be fine, you’ll be fine.” And hearing that when you’re on the bottom is nice. I enjoy Stefan; he’s a good person.

So who are you rooting for to win?
I’m rooting for Jamie and I’m rooting for Carla. Those are my girls!

What’s next for you?
My husband and I own a restaurant (CulinAriane) and are extremely busy; we’re looking to expand, and get a little bit bigger, so that’s our project right now. And you know, maybe I’ll write a cookbook; I’m toying around with the idea. But I have two girls, one is 13 and one is 11 and they keep us pretty busy too. We have our hands full right now. But you can find me, I’m in Jersey, I’m in Montclair; we’ll be here for a while.

Link to the article: http://thebiz.fancast.com/2009/01/top_chef_exit_interview_ariane.html

[marigold]

From tvguide:

Did Top Chef's Ariane Deserve to Go?

She started out at the bottom, but Top Chef's Ariane Duarte quickly rose to the top, impressing the judges week after week. Unfortunately for this cheftestant, string became the enemy and ultimately the reason for her elimination. The New Jersey restaurant owner explains how the cliquiness in her team was a huge roadblock and shares who she thought should have gone home after the farm challenge.

TVGuide.com: Why did you end up working on the lamb dish if you weren't familiar with tying roasts?
Ariane Duarte: I've cooked lots of lamb, but I don't tie. I've done a whole leg of lamb, whole baby lamb — my grandmother's from Italy so that's what we eat every Easter! Hosea and Leah were supposed to help me. When we decided, I said, "Alright guys, that's what I'll do, but this is what I need from you." It was something they knew and we discussed. And there never was an issue. I think we all thought everything was great, tasted great and looked great. But you get to the table and different stories come out.

TVGuide.com: Who do you think should have went home?
Duarte: The first thing I thought was Radhika should have left because when we were [at Judges' Table], having to stick up and fight for ourselves, she had nothing to say. Basically, she didn't do that much, and that's why she had nothing to say. And I think I said Leah [should go] because I was mad. I thought there would have been a little more team player talk [with the judges], but it got to the point where [Leah] just didn't care. It was like, "Yeah I tied it, but didn't do a really good job." Alright, so then you wonder — did you purposely do that? You say you can do it, then you don't.

TVGuide.com: Hosea and Leah seemed pretty cliquey. Did that affect your performance?
Duarte: Definitely. She'd say something, he'd agree. He'd say something, she'd agree. It definitely played against me. I feel when you're in a team, you've got to listen to your teammates. You've got to have faith in them, trust in them. But when two of your teammates just keep saying 'no,' 'that won't work,' 'we don't want to do that,' you get to the point where you can only say and do so much. They already had a connection that I wasn't apart of.

TVGuide.com: What was your most memorable moment of your experience?
Duarte: Getting through the Today show challenge and winning. That's something I've fought with all my career. I don't like to get in front of people and do demos. I get nervous and flustered. So to do that two-and-a-half minute presentation, I was just so proud of myself. It was like a stepping stone for me. One of the main reasons I did the show was to get over the fear of speaking in front of people and presenting cooking in front of people. For me it was definitely growth experience.

TVGuide.com: What's next for you?
Duarte: My husband [who's also a chef] and I own a restaurant in Montclair, NJ called CulinAriane — and we've quickly outgrown it! Since the show, we're full from the minute we open to the minute we close. It's been awesome. We're looking to expand, and I'm toying with the idea of doing a cookbook. I'd love to do some consulting too. But right now, we're dedicated to the restaurant, and I have two girls, 13 and 11, so that takes up a lot of time. [Laughs]

Link to the article: http://www.tvguide.com/News/Chefs-Ariane-Interview-1001728.aspx

[marigold]

An interview with Ariane:

Top Chef Exit Interview: Episode Eight

This week on Top Chef, the dwindling cheftestants took a field trip to Blue Hill at Stone Barns to worship at the sustainable altar of Dan Barber. Working in teams of three, the chefs prepared meals around proteins of chicken, lamb, or pork. Team Chicken kept it simple, stupid, and won with a chicken cutlet. The pork team foolishly stripped the meat of its delicious fat, but their fried green tomatoes allowed for a slight edge over Team Lamb's poorly tied roast. Montclair chef Ariane Duarte, who in a previous episode proved adept at lamb, packed her knives and went through the tunnel. She spoke to us today.

What did you think of the challenge? Were you on Top Chef or Top Butcher? Trying to collaborate as a team when you have two people who have already established a relationship and kind of being that third wheel, it was kind of difficult.

It seems like you didn’t get to do any of the cooking.
I cooked the lamb. I made the sauce. [Hosea] did potatoes and something else, and [Leah] did the salad. There wasn’t really that much to do. Maybe we just didn’t do enough.

Did you expect to be eliminated?
I took a chance. I did something that maybe I wasn’t so familiar with. I never gave up, I never stopped communicating with my teammates. When it came to judges’ table, it all just fell on me and everyone just stood there. I definitely thought it was going to be Radhika. And then when her team won for the green tomatoes, I knew we were in trouble. You learn how the judges speak — all they talked about was the lamb, and that was me.

But you certainly had a good run on the show. Many people thought you’d be eliminated in the first two weeks. Were you proud of your time there?
One of the reasons I tried out for the show was to grow as a person in front of a camera and to prove to myself that I could cook under pressure and take on all these challenges. When you’ve been in the restaurant business for as long as I have, you get a little stagnant. I definitely grew as a person. I’m definitely proud of myself. I had some really great wins.

This week’s winning dish was a chicken cutlet, reinforcing the notion that Top Chef rewards simplicity. Is your cooking straightforward?
Absolutely. Sometimes, less is more. If you get crazy, you can really make a mess of it.

Who was your favorite judge?
I felt Tom had it out for me. I love Padma. When I left, she really stood up for me.

Are you looking to open a restaurant here in New York?
I’ve been approached by several people, but I think I’m staying in Jersey right now. This is home. We love where we’re at and we have some wonderful customers. Montclair has been great to us.

What advice do you have for future contestants?
Sometimes, to be simple isn’t bad.

Link to the article: http://nymag.com/daily/food/2009/01/top_chef_exit_interview_episod_3.html

[TexasLady]

Thanks Apskip for the recaps and Marigold for your treasure trove of articles. 

Interesting comment from Chef Colicchio, he didn't think using the green tomatoes was the best idea when there were beautiful ripened ones available. (I confess, I just LOVE fresh vine ripened tomatoes.)

We're getting down to the finals and I see a few that I believe are the outstanding chefs, the Restaurant Wars episode should be revealing. Can't wait!

I like Stefan, Fabio and Jeff, I see them as the top three chefs. I'm not impressed with Leah or Jamie. I thought it was lame that Leah offered to tie the lamb but did a crappy job of it, but took no responsibility for how uneven they were rolled. What do the rest of you think? Am I all mutton and not lamb?  

[marigold]

Thanks Apskip for the recaps and Marigold for your treasure trove of articles. 

Interesting comment from Chef Colicchio, he didn't think using the green tomatoes was the best idea when there were beautiful ripened ones available. (I confess, I just LOVE fresh vine ripened tomatoes.)

We're getting down to the finals and I see a few that I believe are the outstanding chefs, the Restaurant Wars episode should be revealing. Can't wait!

I like Stefan, Fabio and Jeff, I see them as the top three chefs. I'm not impressed with Leah or Jamie. I thought it was lame that Leah offered to tie the lamb but did a crappy job of it, but took no responsibility for how uneven they were rolled. What do the rest of you think? Am I all mutton and not lamb?  

  Like a little lamb hopping in the meadow of course

I was just looking at Fabio's restaurant it's very very nice inside and a really good menu

Why doesn't he cook like that on the show

Link to his site: http://www.cafefirenze.net/home.cfm

[TexasLady]

His restaurant is beautiful and it seems he wanted only the best of ingredients even importing them for authenticity. I don't know why he isn't standing out but I do believe he will be one of the final three or four. Won't it be interesting to see how the restaurant war works out. Will Fabio step and lead? He hasn't won any quick fire contests either, but I'm not sure how much that enters into the finals, other than keeping the winner safe at the judging.

[marigold]

An interesting article:

‘Top Chef’s’ Tom Colicchio Turns Hero At D.C. Dinner Party

“Top Chef’s” Tom Colicchio went from celebrity judge to hero over the weekend, after saving the life of a fellow foodie.

According to the Food Association, Colicchio performed the Heimlich maneuver on Joan Nathan, a cookbook author at the Art.Food.Hope fundraising dinner in Washington, D.C.

Nathan reportedly began choking on chicken when Colicchio was forced to spring into action and perform the move, which dislodged the food from her windpipe.

“I just happened to be nearby,” the judge told a Food Association blogger of his safety move.

Colicchio is currently starring in Season 5 of Bravo TV’s “Top Chef,” in New York City.

Link to the article: http://www.accesshollywood.com/top-chefs-tom-colicchio-turns-hero-at-dc-dinner-party_article_13138

[marigold]

.... more about Colicchio:

Tom Colicchio: Hero

There’s a phenomenon in journalism called “burying the lede”: It’s when a writer buries the factoid or argument that makes his story interesting deep in the body of the piece. I do not mean to bury my lede. So here it is: Earlier tonight, Tom Colicchio saved Joan Nathan’s life.

Joan Nathan is a James Beard-award winning cookbook author best known for her books Jewish Cooking in America and The New American Cooking. She lives in Washington, DC. Which is how, presumably, she came to host a sprawling party for the Art.Food.Hope inaugural events benefiting DC Central Kitchen and Martha’s Table. It was, well, very DC. Bob Woodward was there, and so was Carl Bernstein. Jeff Toobin was in the corner and Rachel Maddow wandered through.

But it wasn’t just politicos. Art.Food.Hope is a set of 12 fundraising dinner parties organized by Ayelet Waldman and Alice Waters and catered by an array of accomplished chefs, most of whom were in attendance at Nathan’s soiree. Jose Andres presided boisterously over the proceedings, and some of his kitchen staff spent the night in the front yard roasting a lamb. Daniel Boulud worked the room, Najmieh Batmanglij — whose son turns out to be in Vampire Weekend, oddly enough — spooned Persian wedding rice onto plates, Dan Barber ambled about, Lydia Bastianich floated through a couple of times, and Tom Colicchio was pinned against the banister deflecting fans (there is grassroots anger over last week’s elimination). Which is how he ended up standing next to Nathan when a chunk of chicken went down her wind pipe.

I was in the next room concentrating on a plate of lamb sausage. Alice Waters flung herself into the banister behind me. She was shouting. “Does anyone know the Heimlich maneuver?” She ran back. This is not what you want to hear at a dinner party. Moreover, this is not what you want to hear in the room full of chefs. Don’t they teach the Heimlich at the CIA? Moments later, Waters appeared again. “It’s okay,” she breathed.

What happened in the interim was this: Tom Colicchio knew the Heimlich maneuver. And the Top Chef judge performed it. On Joan Nathan. So not only can Colicchio run multiple restaurants and anchor a cooking show and win five James Beard awards and cook for the rescure workers after 9/11, but he can save your life. Versatile guy. Think he’d be willing to manage the stimulus package?

Incidentally, I managed to chat with Colicchio and Nathan a bit later in the evening. Colicchio was modest. “I just happened to be nearby,” he shrugged. Nathan was more effusive, “He’s so strong!”

Link to the article: http://internetfoodassociation.wordpress.com/2009/01/19/tom-colicchio-hero/

[marigold]

EMERIL LAGASSE GUEST JUDGES ON BRAVO'S 'TOP CHEF' AS THE SERIES MOVES TO NEW ORLEANS ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18 AT 10 PM ET/PT

Released by Bravo

The Finalists Heat Up The Competition As A Winner Is Named On Wednesday, February 25 At 10 PM ET/PT

The final chef'testants will need to "kick it up a notch" to impress famed chef and restaurateur Emeril Lagasse in the eclectic city of New Orleans on Bravo's "Top Chef," with a supersized episode and a shocking twist that changes the face of game as the field is narrowed from four to three on Wednesday, February 18 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The three finalists face an extra special challenge and the winner will be revealed on Wednesday, February 25 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, on the season finale of "Top Chef: New York."

Lagasse, chef/proprietor of Emeril's Restaurant, NOLA, and Emeril's Delmonico in New Orleans said about his experience on "Top Chef": "In Louisiana, we have an amazing selection of local ingredients: andouille sausage, frog legs, turtle, catfish and rabbit. I was interested in seeing if the chefs would venture out and really try to explore our local flavors and culture. The challenge for some was finding a balance between the bold spices we love and their own personal style. All I can say is that you'll definitely want to go back for seconds for some of their final dishes!"

Want more "Top Chef" during season five's final days? Go to www.BravoTV.com for our special countdown, "14 Days of Finale," an extra helping of exclusive videos available only online and sponsored by Toyota. Beginning February 4 and leading up to part one of the finale on February 18, fans can watch clips of Bravo's Andy Cohen conducting exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews with the series' judges and cast. Fans are also treated to a webisode series sponsored by Toyota called "Gail in the City: A Culinary Adventure," hosted by judge Gail Simmons. Join Simmons as she takes you to her favorite foodie hotspots in New York. Find out which Italian cheese she describes as "oozalicious," the cookbook her great grandmother contributed to, and which out-of-the-way restaurant has the best fries.

For the first time ever, fans will have a say in a future episode of "Top Chef." During part one of the finale, viewers will be asked to vote on what they'd like to see in a Quickfire challenge featured in season six of "Top Chef," with voting on www.BravoTV.com and via text message

Next week on "Top Chef: New York"…it's baaaaaaack! The always anticipated episode, Restaurant Wars – where the chef'testants must create every aspect of a restaurant in 24 hours – in a supersized episode, Wednesday, January 21 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Restaurateur Stephen Starr, owner of Starr Restaurants (including Buddakan and Morimoto in New York), serves as guest judge.

[marigold]

An interesting article:

Top Chef Finale Secrets Revealed!

Yes, Top Chef fans, we heard you! We're happy to announce that Top Chef: New York's finale will take place in ... NEW ORLEANS! You've been leaving comments on our Top Chef blogs for seasons now, urging us to head down to the bayou, and now we are. New Orleans staple Emeril Lagasse will serve as guest judge. So, bam! (Sorry -- I couldn't resist.)

A supersized episode and a shocking twist will change the face of game as the field is narrowed from four to three on Wednesday, February 18 at 10/9c. The three finalists face an extra special challenge and the winner will be revealed on Wednesday, February 25 at 10/9c on the season finale.

New Orleans, here we come!

Link: http://www.bravotv.com/blogs/The_Dish/index.php?article=http://www.bravotv.com/blog/thedish/2009/01/top_chef_finale_secrets_revealed.php

[TexasLady]

Thanks Marigold. Extra scenes!! 

[marigold]

Thanks Marigold. Extra scenes!! 

Little lamb what did you think about tonights episode

I would have sent Radhika home for not ever stepping it up and taking responsiblity

Carla for her lack of respect towards Tom the judges and everyone who dined and had to eat her love cake

and finally Leah I probably got a hundred reasons why, that leaves us with a top 5 in my ideal world 

[marigold]

Tom Colicchio's Blog:

Restaurant Woes

Before discussing this week's challenge, I'd like to take a moment to address Ariane's dismissal last week. The reasoning behind it is pretty clear cut (pun intended): The lamb was the worst dish of the three. It was the worst dish because of how it was butchered. Ariane butchered the meat. Ergo, Ariane was sent home. It doesn't matter that the other two sat back and allowed it. We judges didn't know that. What we knew was that Ariane chose to assume the responsibility of butchering the meat, and she ruined it. Had one of the other dishes been worse, we'd have ascertained why and dismissed the person responsible for that.

The response to last week's elimination of Ariane was mammoth; I'm sure folks will respond in similar number and fashion to the judges' decision this week. Viewers will be outraged that Sunset beat out Sahana and that Radhika was sent home. But as one of the judges, I can assure you that were you there in a judge's capacity, you would have weighed the variables before you, deliberated them all, and been comfortable with the decision that was made, tough as the call was.

Remember two things: First, a lot happens, and it cannot all be put into a one-hour episode. We experienced the two restaurants more fully than could possibly be presented on TV, and editing choices largely determine how the material is perceived by the viewer. And conversely -- and I've said this before -- we judges were not privy to what was happening behind the scenes. The drama between Leah and Hosea? We had no idea. The lack of morale in the Sunset kitchen? Invisible to us. The laudable teamwork and positivity among the Sahana chefs? Equally out of our sight. We were patrons of the two restaurants, plain and simple. Those two dining experiences, coupled with the feedback of the other patrons, shaped our decision. And don't forget that while it may have been close, the other patrons favored Sunset over Sahana.

There are many factors that likely influenced the majority of the patrons. Remember that last impressions may color the overall experience: the desserts soared at Sunset and tanked at Sahana, and Fabio left each patron feeling cared for specially, while Radhika failed to even bid us farewell at the end of the evening. A restaurant is equal parts service and food. It has been shown that most people will return to a restaurant if the service is good, even if the food was merely OK. Fabio embraced his role at the front of the house; Radhika never did.

But it goes farther than that. A chef/owner of a restaurant must exhibit leadership and executive decision-making in all aspects of the restaurant from the kitchen stoves to the front door. Radhika completely turned the running of the kitchen over to Jamie, Jeff, and Carla. She did not assert her preferences while the other chefs shaped the dishes to be served in her restaurant, nor did she oversee their execution. She asked Carla if Carla wanted help when the desserts were failing, when she should have stepped in and asserted what she wanted Carla to do to remedy them. And while it might have been argued that a chef'testant in her position might have failed in the kitchen because she was so immersed in her responsibilities at the front of the house, this was not the case with Radhika, as she was not present and performing in that capacity either. Her nerves seem to have gotten the better of her, and she expended nervous energy in an unfocused way, letting down her kitchen staff and her patrons alike. As a result, while with the exception of dessert, the food may have been better at Sahana, the overall package was better at Sunset. We just felt better there. Factoring in all the variables, we all agreed that we had an overall more pleasant and pleasurable experience.

The ability to create great food is the first and most important ability a chef must have. But as I wrote in the on-air elimination challenge earlier this season, being a Top Chef requires more. That earlier challenge and Restaurant Wars this week gave our chefs an opportunity to learn about the other skill sets they need to hone to make it to and stay at the Top.

Link: http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/blogs/index.php?blog=tom_colicchio&article=2009/01/restaurant_woes#breadcrumbs