'Top Chef: New York': A failure of leadership

Top Chef: New York contemplates the vital questions of our time: Is it better to have decent food and a lousy host, or a great host and lousy food? Plus, whose bright idea was it to put the introvert in charge of guests?

This spoiler wants to see more of Jeff's magic.

It's time for Restaurant Wars! Guest judge Stephen Starr (the restaurateur behind Buddakan, Morimoto, Parc and several other high-class Philly, New York and Atlantic City joints) tells the cheftestants to cook a meal that exemplifies their own restaurant concept. Jamie says she hopes she doesn't win -- it's a sucker bet! The leader of the losing team in Restaurant Wars tends to get the chop!

Leah starts off rocky, picking red snapper "that smelled like ass," then discarding it. Fortunately, Stephen seems to like Plan B,  tempura poussin with dashi. Fabio decides to show off his lunch skills, which backfires when Stephen (who is from Philly, after all) calls his fillet mignon sandwich a cheesesteak. Stefan makes decent food, but his concept -- "Euro American" -- gets a  blank stare. Jamie and Jeff both tout seasonal menus, which doesn't see to impress (although Stephen does like the simplicity of Jamie's Chilean sea bass). Hosea's seafood concept seemed a bit too amorphous, Finally, there's Rahdika, who says she's totally not doing an Indian place, but that she works with world flavors. Stephen picks Rahdika and Leah to lead the opposing armies in Restaurant Wars.

Rahdika picks Jamie, Carla and Jeff for her team, while Leah goes for Hosea (duh!), Fabio and, when he's the only one left, Stefan. Stefan refuses to take the hint and continues to be obnoxious and overbearing, telling Leah what she should do, refusing to reveal what he's making for dessert, and basically being, well, Stefan. If I were planning the menu, it would be different, he says, but alas -- "It's a democracy at this point, and everyone has some kind of bullsh*t input," Stefan says, sounding like he'd be more than happy to mount a coup and establish a dictatorship if he just had the weaponry. Shut it, Stefan.

Rahdika's group chooses to do a restaurant inspired by the old spice trade, melding flavors from India and the Middle East. I say Rahdika's group decides, because Rahdika herself doesn't seem to be saying much. It's her restaurant, but after coming up with the name -- Sahana -- she takes a back seat. Jaime, Jeff and Carla come up with their own dishes and do their own thing with little or no input. When Jeff balks at being the house manager, Rahdika takes that role. So it's her restaurant, but she's not going to cook? Weird.

At least there's no argument about who should be front-of-house in Leah's group -- it's Fabio, all the way. "We can serve monkey ass in an empty clam shell -- we're gonna win this one [if] I'm running the show in the front," he crows.

The restaurants open, and we find that Rahdika is completely unsuited to leadership and to dealing with the public. She's a lousy host, hiding in the kitchen half the time, not staying on top of the wait staff, and letting people wait too long for tables. Fortunately, the food is good, for the most part -- there are some missteps with plating and some of the sides aren't that great, but the main courses go over well. Not so the desserts -- the frozen yogurt isn't actually frozen, and the chocolate spice cake is lousy. Thing is, Carla did ask what Rahdika thought, and Rahdika said nothing.

On Leah's team, things get un! comfortable! after Leah and Hosea spend the evening making out, and then regret it mightily the next day. They're hardly speaking to each other. Leah isn't taking much of a leadership role -- Hosea and Stefan name the place without any input from her, for example -- and she's completely off her game in the kitchen. Her cod is so bad that the judges send it back, sending Leah into a tailspin.

But The Sunset Lounge has two things going for it -- Fabio's charm offensive in the dining room, and Stefan's desserts. Fabio is the polar opposite of Rahdika -- he's warm, funny, charming, solicitous, and most of all, there. Stefan's desserts are the best things the judges eat all night.

It's a tough one -- Sahana's food was a little bit better overall, but Sunset Lounge's service was miles better. Apparently Fabio was right about the viability of serving monkey ass -- Sunset Lounge wins the challenge. That's no thanks to Leah, who is spanked for having the worst dish of the night. Stefan wins the challenge overall. Ok, fine, the man can cook -- he's still not anyone I'd EVER want to work with.

Jeff and Jaime both produced great food on the Sahana crew, so they're safe. Carla goes a bit nutso, talking about how she knew the desserts sucked, but she was having fun in the kitchen, she kept smiling, and she sent a lot of love out. The judges are gobsmacked -- what the hell is she talking about? I have to agree with Stephen: "Keep the love in the kitchen, send out good desserts."

Rahdika also gets reamed -- What did you do? Where did you go? Did you take responsibility for anything? Did you actually produce anything? Was there any leadership at all on your part? When the answer is no, Rahdika is sent home. I'm bummed that the Chicago chef was sent packing, but I have to agree with the decision.

Highlights, thoughts and odds and ends

• Dear sound editors: The bom-chicka-wow music you broke out when Hosea and Leah got it on? Nice touch. Very subtle.
• That said, it seems like the Hosea and Leah show may be at an end! Huzzah! They both feel like idiots for swapping spit on camera when they have significant others at home who will have access to television and will know exactly what they've done. Idiots.
• Hosea: Flirting is teasing talk, fluttering eyelashes, lingering glances, maybe a few fleeting touches on the shoulder or arm. When your tongues are in each other's throats, you're not flirting, you're making out.
• Now Fabio was flirting. The entire time he was in the dining room, he flirted like crazy. "Can I light your candle?" he asked a pair of young women. Why yes you can, they responded, giggling.
• I will give it to Fabio -- he may not be a great chef, but he's a fabulous house manager. He and Stefan should team up after this -- the guests can eat Stefan's amazing food and bask in Fabio's warm manner. Everyone wins!
• I can't help but think that Sahana would have won the challenge if Jeff had been house manager. He knows how to pour on the charm, and Rahdika is a much better cook than host.
• I have a bone to pick with Padma: She talked about Stephen Starr's two New York properties, but didn't mention his dozen Philly places -- and that's where Starr's restaurant empire is really established. Come on, show, Philly has become a great restaurant town -- give it the credit it deserves!

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