'Top Chef: Chicago' and the power of bacon
Top Chef: Chicago confirms the cardinal rule of cheffery -- you can't go wrong with bacon. Filet mignon? Wrap it in bacon. Shrimp dish? Better with bacon. Tasty salad? Needs bacon. A friend is working on bacon-infused vodka. If anyone can point me to a bacon-flavored ice cream, I'll be in heaven.
Earth, air, water, spoiler.
The quickfire challenge is the palate test -- can you tell high-quality ingredients from cheaper fare? How about when you're blindfolded? It's an important test, but it's not terribly telegenic, so we'll skip to the end -- Stephanie got the worst score, correctly picking only 6 out of 15 ingredients. Ryan and Jen tied for second place, identifying 11 of 15, and Antonia took the prize, picking 12 of 15. She gets immunity.
It's absolutely true that a chef has to have a good palate, but the results of this particular challenge suggest that maybe what you do with your ingredients is more important that the exquisite nature thereof. After all, Stephanie has won the elimination challenge twice, and been in the top team once. When her team was in the bottom, her dessert was declared her team's saving grace. Whereas Antonia, Ryan and Jen haven't won a single challenge between the three of them.
Elimination Challenge
The cheftestants must create a first course inspired by one of the four elements -- earth, air, water and fire. Guest judge Ming Tsai gives two instructions: Keep it simple, and execute your dish perfectly. Each team has a $500 budget, and since the quickfire was all about high-quality ingredients, it stands to reason that they should use the good stuff, right?
Team Water (Richard, Andrew and Mark) decide on a poached salmon -- a water creature cooked in water, get it? Richard is hugely proud of himself for this concept, and appoints himself head chef. He's prepping and cooking the fish. Andrew is on salad duty, and he throws in the tapioca caviar he's so fond of. Dude, it's cool, but you've got to branch out. Mark makes a seemingly superfluous aioli. Hey, it's something to do.
Team Air (Jen, Nikki and Ryan) go with poultry, since birds fly. It's not particularly inspired -- I would have done something really light and, well, airy.
Team Earth (Spike, Zoi and Antonia) can't agree -- Spike wants to do a butternut squash soup, but Zoi and Antonia think that's not posh enough. Antonia says if they insist, she'll go with soup, but Zoi makes an executive decision against it. Instead, they go with a beef carpaccio.
Team Fire (Dale, Stephanie and Lisa) seem screwed -- they can't come up with a plan to save their lives. Dale wants to do something involving a devilled egg (devil=fire), while Lisa really wants to do an Asian dish, since that's her specialty and she wants to impress Ming Tsai. They can't make up their minds at the menu-planning session, and they even spend 10 minutes of shopping time debating. When they find out Team Earth is doing a beef dish, they scramble for something else.
In the kitchen, Team Water is cocky -- dudes, we're awesome! What could go wrong! How about scales on the salmon when you plate it? Team Air is also confident, which worries me -- the dish seems like nothing special. Team Earth continues to butt heads -- Spike thinks Zoi's mushrooms are underseasoned, but he's overruled. In Team Fire, Lisa bitches and moans about just about everything, which is obviously getting on Dale's last diva-like nerve. But their fiery shrimp with chili salad and miso-seasoned bacon looks pretty darn good.
The judges compliment every aspect of the Fire dish -- they were three separate components that really worked together. But Ming Tsai decides the bacon is what made the dish -- it's a presentation and flavor he hadn't seen before. Lisa wins the challenge, and a trip to Italy. Dale fumes.
Earth and Water are called on the carpet -- Richard, how could you let the fish go out with scales? Andrew, what's with doing the faux caviar again? And Mark, what was the point of your aioli? But at least it wasn't as bad as Earth. When Spike announces he wanted to do a soup, the judges say that would have been a great idea -- why'd he listen to everyone else?
In the end, the judges decide that the mushrooms are the worst part of the dish. Zoi's going home.
But wait, there's more -- it's time for Chefs Gone Wild! Spike bitches that he should have insisted on soup, and blames Antonia for absolutely refusing to go along with him (that's not how it played out, dude.) Jen is pissed that Spike threw Zoi under the bus, and looks like she wants to hit someone. When Dale says something and Lisa tells him to shut it, Dale blows up -- you're a total negative bitch! Jen throws a chair. Holy crap, folks, this could be wrestling!
Highlights, thoughts and odds and ends:
- I'm getting a little frustrated with the guest chefs. Don't get me wrong, they've all been amazing chefs, but besides Rick Bayless, we haven't seen any Chicago biggies. Where's Charlie Trotter? Where's Grant Achatz? Where's Gale Gand? Where's Arun Sampanthavivat? Come on, this town is lousy with talent -- let's see it!
- Andrew on the quickfire challenge: "It's very important to have a good palate -- as a chef, it's your life. If you can't season properly, if you can't taste what good food is, you suck." That pretty much sums it up.
- While I applaud Lisa for her use of bacon, she really is incredibly negative -- this is wrong! This sucks! This is annoying! It pains me to do it, but I have to agree with Dale that she's a font of "observational negativity."
- Hey, the Walnut Room at Marshall Fields! (I don't care what's on the sign, it will NEVER be Macy's.)
- Did anyone find Richard's attempts at smarm absolutely painful? "I don't know if he's got a good poker face or if the Richard Blais charm has worn off on Tom Colicchio," he says. That was supposed to be charm? Shut up, Richard.
- Dale, on Lisa's win: "She made BACON, and she gets a trip to f*cking Italy? I'm bitter." Really? But you hide it so well!
- Once again, Zoi seems to talk a much better game than her food actually bears out. I love intense flavors! Ok, so why were your mushrooms completely tasteless?
- Spike laments he was "too nice." Yeah, THAT'S your problem, Spike.
Great observations, the same I would have made. The last scene was the best of the show. I think they deliberately cast many divas this year to get these fireworks. While we all tune in to see cooking, there is a minimal level of drama we need. We need to create the good v. bad we love so much. Last year we had one guy like that. This year we have multiple to pick from. I have been waiting for either Zoi or Jen to go to see how the other reacts.
My deepest desire for this show is to have Chef Gordon Ramsay as a guest judge. After watching so many of his BBC shows, I know how much he hates overblown pretentious dishes. I know he wouldn't go to Hell's Kitchen levels, but some of these people need to be put in their place. Besides that, Ramsay really wants to see people succeed and improve and stop thinking they need more than a clean presentation and great flavors. I think Colicchio is just collecting a paycheck.
I don't think Tom Colichio is just collecting a paycheck. Although the way he judges does seem to be eratic at times. However, on last nights show he a) called the overconfidence of the water team leading to a critical mistake, b) Put Spike in his place when he was complaining about how they should have done soup by saying, "The decision to not make soup was not what got you in the bottom, you didn't execute the dish you chose to do." and c) he stated (and frankly I think they should have followed through on it) that he fely like sending both Spike and Zoe home because they let the person with immunity dictate what they made.
Furthermore, I beleive he called out Mark for his contribution to the Water dish, asking him why his component was added to the dish.
I love the concept of this show, but this season is starting to get frustrating. These chefs were supposed to be better then last years and I', just not seeing it. For Richard to souvee yet another piece of protein and Andrew to add faux cavier to it. Come on guys. How about a little creativity.
And as stated above, both Zoe and Spike should have gone home. What have they done that is the least bit interesting. And many of the other chefs seem to be afterthoughts as well.
Seriously, how hard was it to do the carpaccio. They showed Spike slicing it with a Deli slicer. Kramer could have done that. And the girl with immunity prepped vegatables. It's not called Top Prep Cook.
The best overall Chef so far seems to be Stephanie by a mile. So what will probably happen in true Top Chef fashion is she will have 1 bad week and they'll send her home because she's not controversial. balh.
Sorry for ranting.
Great recap, Sarah. And good point about lamenting the lack (so far) of local talent at Judges' Table. When they said last night that many great chefs attend the Meals on Wheels benefit I was even hoping for a glimpse of them there. In fact, how about alumnus Dale Levitsky, prepping for the opening of his own new restaurant in Chicago, making a triumphant return as a guest judge?
As a life long Chicagoan, The Walnut Room will always be a Marshall Field's restaurant and never a part of Macy's.
This season is a disappointment for me. Except for Stephanie not one can cook. Too much ridiculous drama. Richard and Antonia need to get a life. ps. did anyone happen to catch top chef contender Tre as a sous chef on Iron Chef America?
sac,
Your right about this week. I may have picked the wrong week to call out Tom. But his overall track record like you stated is erratic. I actually think the most consistent judge (guest or permanent) is Bourdain. Every time he comes on, he calls people out, states it like it is. The other judges always seem to want to lay in but hold back like these people may walk off the show. We all know they are DAWs, so they are going nowhere.
Beth,
Good call on Dale. Past episodes have had cheftestants come back, why not Dale. Could be his fauxhawk is better than the ones this season, lol!
For bacon flavored ice cream check out http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2008/03/candied_bacon_i_1.html
Don't know what the other post-ers mean when they complain about lack of talent. This has to be the most talented group by far, with far less jokers or middle-aged "comfort" food cooks (remember Mike, Betty and Mia from season 2?) or pastry chefs or cheese makers, etc. Stephanie is the only one who can cook? Give me a break!
The real problem with this cycle, is that we have now had THREE (or four?) group challenges in a row, which is just a mistake, because it doesn't allow for enough individuation.
JJ, you are officially my hero. Now all I need is an ice cream machine...
Prepare the bacon. Then buy some already prepared ice cream, soften it up and mix in the bacon. It'd be close enough I'm sure. :)