Top Chef Seattle Episode 2 Recap: “A Shock at the Space Needle”

On Week 2 of Top Chef Season 10 the competition gets down to business as our 15 chefs arrive at the Top Chef Kitchen in Seattle. 

A quick reminder of the stakes, the chefs are competing for a feature in Food and Wine magazine, a showcase at the Annual Food and Wine Classic in Aspen, $125,000 provided by Healthy Choice and title of Top Chef.

The Top Chef Seattle Gang's all here!

(Bravo does it to pay the bills. I do it for consistency.)

Quickfire Time:  

The cooks enter the kitchen, eager for their first Quickfire Challenge.

“Alright alright alright!” Wait. Is Matthew McConaughey the guest judge? No. Unfortunately it’s just Tyler Wiard doing his best impression of our favorite bongo player.

Normally here’s where we meet this week’s guest judge. Instead, our lovely host Padma Lakshmi walks out  with two familiar faces and someone I had to look up. Former contestants Josie Smith-Malav, Chris “CJ” Jacobsen, and my favorite Bond villain - Stefan Richter. 

No Mr. Bond. I expect you to cook!

CJ and Stefan were both memorable characters who lasted deep into their season. Thanks to Wikipedia, I now know who Josie is. 

The season’s first Quickfire is a team challenge. The cheftesants are divided up into groups of three so there are only five dishes total to judge. And, of course, team challenges always make for good television.

The chefs divide up into teams by grabbing a colored apron underneath the prep table. 

John Tesar quickly made the decision to switch from gray to blue apron just to be teammates with Kuniko Yagi.

“I know she’s Japanese. I’m thinking to myself maybe she has incredible knife skills. I’ve watched every episode of Top Chef and I think the decisions you make are just as important as the dishes you make,” John tells the camera.

Apparently the decision of coming across as someone who’s kinda racist and stereotypes people didn’t factor into his thought process at the time. Hey, at least he didn’t refer to her as “origami.”

Their task: Make a dish that highlights one of the local shellfish. We see a tank full of Dungeness crabs, a basket of crawfish, and a big box of mud full of buried razor clams and geoducks. The kicker? Get it onto the table with only 20 minutes. Considering last week they allotted 45 minutes for an omelet, the degree of difficulty has gone up dramatically. 

Frankly I was surprised they busted out the geoducks so early in the season. It’s a giant salt water clam that is native to the Pacific Northwest. A “signature” item from that region with a distinct appearance of being rather phallic. Seriously. Whoever was the first person to eat that definitely had an oral fixation. I’m going to guess this won't be the last we see of geoducks this season.  

Magnum. Ummm...

John Tesar starts to strategize out loud and immediately gets scolded by Padma. Do NOT interrupt Padma. 

Mad scramble time.

Almost everyone digs for the geoduck because it’s one of those products that doesn’t require much preparation as it’s usually served sashimi style. With the time restraint it’s definitely a wise choice. However the savvy Quickfire producers know this as well so it was an “early bird gets the clam” situation. Some teams had adjust and go with some other product.

Sure, Bravo producers, go ahead and let the pretty model cook (Kristen Kish) make the geoduck big penis reference.

Comic relief Carla Pellegrino reminds us that she’s a not only a cook, she’s also a woman. She “wants a James Beard...and a nice ass.” As predicted last week, she’s running around being loud, dramatic and still looking for that white pepper. Prediction: Her own show on Bravo, “LOL Top Ass”

Business in the front...

Party in the back...

John Tesar reminds us again that he’s the “Most Hated Chef in Dallas.” Sigh. I think this might be a weekly occurrence. Maybe they won’t hate him as much if he took those glasses off his forehead. Is that some sort of anti-Guy Fieri fashion statement? 

Tyler Wiard name drops John Elway because working in a RESTAURANT for a two-time Superbowl champion makes you a good team player. Hm. Actually, that makes sense. 

Time’s Up.

Here are the teams and their dishes:

-Grey Team (Bart Vandaele, Jeffery Jew, Brooke Williamson)

Pacific Crawfish. Picked red chili fennel. Crawfish Cream.

-Orange Team (Lizzie Bender, Carla Pellegrino, Crissy Camba)

Oven Roasted Crawfish. Fennel and Herb Salad.

-Green Team (Kristen Kish, Micah Fields, Tyler Wiard)

Fried & Sashimi Geoduck. Raddish & Bak Choy Salad. Yuzu Chili Vinaigrette.

-Blue Team (John Tesar, Sheldon Simeon, Kuniko Yagi)

Geoduck Sashimi. Ponzu. Apple and Cucumber.

-Yellow Team (Eliza Gavin, Danyele McPherson, Josh Valentine)  

Razor Clam and Grilled Corn Chowder. Fresno Chili. Grilled Lime.

Ah. Much more pleasant looking Geoduck. Sashimi Style.

The bottom dish: Team Yellow. Apparently it lacked seasoning, acid, and Padma called it “watery.” Trying to make a chowder in twenty minutes is pretty ambitious. Emeril would have warned them.

The winning dish: Team Blue. Geoduck sashimi with apples and cucumber. Ponzu. Simple and clean flavors. Apple and cucumber provides sweetness and crunch, enhanced by the acidity in the ponzu. You can see why this was a winner dish.

Ok to make things fair the winning team randomly draw knives to see who wins immunity. Evil prevails and John wins. Looks like we’ll get to hear him tell us about that “most hated chef” thing again next week. Wait, “an extra glass of wine?” I thought he had a problem with recreational self-medicating? *Nervous look*

Quickfire over. Padma now drops the bombshell.

Surprise! Um. Not really.

The three returning chef-judges will now become cheftestants. The 15 cooks are shocked! However, I knew it was coming because the good people of Bravo TV decided to spoil the “SHOCK” by revealing this devious plot twist in their promos throughout the day. Also, technically the shock occurred in the Top Chef kitchen and NOT the Space Needle itself. Tom Colicchio would not approve of this title. Not too bravo, Bravo.

After being shocked, the chefs spew venom and curses! Of course no one’s happy about this. Apparently not even Stefan. Hey he’s got nothing to prove. Because when you drive a GT3 Porsche and own eight restaurants, your life is complete. That whole “runner up and losing to Hosea Rosenberg” thingy doesn’t bother you at all. Ok Stefan, whatever gets you through the night.

Elimination Challenge.

To the lament of Lizzie and Crissy, the chefs will remain with their team. The veterans now form team Red shirts.

CJ tells us that he’s 10x the chef he used to be. He just “came back from a stage at Noma, the number one voted restaurant for the past three years.” For your records, that vote was by Restaurant Magazine and carries “just a little” more weight then Yelp. 

The kids today and their phones. Are you guy tweeting?

Each team will serve one dish to the judges and legendary local Chef Tom Douglas. This week’s judges are Tom Colicchio, Emeril Legasse, Gail Simmons and of course Padma herself. I’m guessing Wolfgang’s not around this week because there’s only room for one legend at a time.

They must use local ingredients and will have 47 minutes (the amount of time for the Space Needle resto to rotate around once) to cook and serve the dish.

30 minutes to shop at the Top Chef pantry.

More gratuitous scrambling montage.

Every team is grabbing seafood of some sort except for the Red team. Stefan mentions grabbing eight quail? 

Yellow team cannot identify their fish. Seriously people. I’m no fishmonger but I can tell the difference between monk, salmon and halibut. (Yellow’s mystery fish turns out to be cod.)

Shopping’s over. Time for some beautiful Seattle exterior shots (spoiler alert: It’s overcast) and for the chefs to retire to their swanky Yo’ MTV Cribs style apartment, Olive 8.

Chefs get to relax and bond a little bit. Model chef Kristen tests out the flirting pool by identifying who’s married and who’s not. Because you know, that’s really important in a cooking competition. 

The crew find out that Patrick Jew is engaged...to a boy. “Awws” of disappointment fill the room. I gotta say though, he is the youngest looking 34 year old ever. 

Josie tells us why she’s back (to win?) and how she’s been coined the “Global Soul Chef” (by herself?)

Ok back to cooking.

Because of the space restriction, only two teams get to cook at the same time. So of course the rest of the group hovers around to watch. 

First up, Blue Team and Orange Team.

Blue Team’s got a great thing going. Kuniko’s on protein, Sheldon’s on sauce and Tesar - vegetable. Despite having immunity, Tesar is still constantly micromanaging the rest of the team. Can’t wait to see how he’ll act without that comfort blanket.

Orange Team is a mess. Carla is still doing her best Charo impression while the chefstestant peanut gallery is thankful they don’t have to work with her. 

Meanwhile the team of returning veterans are contemplating using quail as their main protein. CJ feels “really” good about this while Josie is skeptical. You figure as a team who has been through this once they would know better than to change plans five minutes before cooking. Outlook hazy. 

Really? We're talking about fishing?!

Judges arrive and banter about Seattle and the vivacious Gail Simmons wants to go fishing. Emeril as usual, is enthusiastic. Tom looks fascinated. Padma couldn’t care less about singing scallops. (I know I know, it’s all in the editing...I’m sure everyone was tickled by the banter. Also they’re only on their first glass of Hanna wine!)

Blue Team elected to have Kuniko present the dish to the judges and, despite self-proclaiming “not being good at speaking English,” does great job explain their Chili Oil Poached Cod with Dashi and Shabu Shabu Spot Prawns. 

Guess who does the talking for the Orange Team? Yup. You guessed it. Mrs. Pellegino introduces their Poached Salmon with Seasonal Vegetables & Beurre Blanc.

As if she hasn’t gotten enough screen time, Carla decides to cut herself. Medics come and bandage up the boo-boo. Thankfully she’s “all pretty again.” Oy.

Judges really like Blue Team’s dish. Cod’s not too fiery, dashi’s nice and smokey, and the spot prawns are fresh and light. 

Gail said, “The first thing to put in my mouth in Seattle? Not bad.” *laughter ensues* “Wait. That came out wrong.” Oh Gail. I’m just glad you weren’t talking the geoduck.

Orange Team also has a good dish. The under seasoned salmon was counter balanced by the well flavored beurre blanc. All is well with the first round. Judges are pretty optimistic. I think Tom’s just glad he won’t have to go back there and give them the “you’re not going to win with deviled eggs” speech. I concur.

It's Red and Gray Teams turn.

Red Team hits a snag right away. Their cherry broth is not so “rad” and Stefan is used to bigger breasts. Yes Stefan, that’s what happens when you change menu at the last minute. 

Gray team is on a bumpy road as well. Jeffery seared the halibut on both sides and it might be too well done. Actually, you can tell right away that fish is over. He pretty much killed the top sear and it’s still gotta sit under the heat lamp. Don’t expect Jeffery to work at Le Bernardin anytime soon.

CJ presents Red Team’s Quail Breast with Confit Spot Prawns. Cherries & Porcini. 

Jeffery describes the Gray Team’s Pan Roasted Halibut. Mushrooms. English Peas. Wheat Beer with Herb Sabayon

Can you tell I'm over cooked?

Right away judges note that the quail is over cooked, the spot prawn is over cooked, and there’s a bitter note to the broth. Outlook now not so good.

As expected, Gray Team’s halibut is a rock and unexpectedly their English pea sabayon tastes like nutmeg. There are no winners here.

During the interlude we learn that a 22 year old Tom Colicchio almost went all Nirvana and moved to Seattle because of a split up with a long time girlfriend. This endearing tale was highlighted by Tom violently swirling his wine glass. At one point even Emeril looked down and gave the wildly spinning glass a look of concern. Oh Tom it’s ok. We’ve all been there...

Last round.

Yellow Team finally figures out they’re working with cod. However, they manage to lose their mushrooms. It’s ok because they poach the Red Team’s leftovers. It’s still early in the competition. Nobody will call you on that, yet.

Green Team appears to be in good shape. Micah is kind to take a team player role and not be the natural leader he claims to be. They’re humming along. Much like this recap, the final team gets the least screen time.

Kristen Kish presents their Crispy Seared Salmon. Seasonal Vegetables & Spot Prawn Butter Sauce. For the record she would be my team’s presenter for every challenge. 

Danyele “With a Y” explains their Pan Roasted Cod. Mushrooms. Fava Beans. Pickled Green Apple & Garlic Scape Pistou.

Essentially, they’re the same dish. Both with a nicely cooked piece of fish over fava beans, sea beans and mushrooms. Though the Yellow Team’s sauce is too little and too garlicky. 

Things I’ve learned this week: Apples with seafood is a good match, Chef Douglass likes the middle of his fish translucent and Tom is a romantic. *He’s still twirling that wine glass.*

Judges all agree that this was a good start and since they all made similar dishes, this should be easy to judge.

Meanwhile in the Stew Room, the veterans wax poetic about how tough judging will be. Good thing because they’re about to walk down memory lane. 

Judgement.

Chili oil cod. Winner.

Blue Team wins!  It was pretty obvious from the get-go that they’ve got it made. John (who is still wearing those damn glasses on his forehead) talks about how harmonious the team worked together. Smiles all around. Group hug. Kuniko wins by coming up with the idea and cooking the fish. Though not showy, she has led by example thus far. 

The two bottom teams are Red and Gray Teams.

There’s a brief “coming attraction” moment between Josh Valentine and Jon Tesar. They debated over whether or not the veterans have an advantage. Ah *cue The Carpenters* “We’ve only just begun...”

Back at Judge’s Table, it has come down to whose mistakes are more egregious. Stefan’s over cooked little quail breast? Or Jeffery’s rock of a halibut. Between you, me and everyone else watching, chances are they’re not going to go through all this “shock” just to send Stefan packing. Right?

I wish I was driving my Porche...

Alas, pretty boy Jeffery’s over cooked fish has done him in. I couldn't tell how over done the quail was, but I could tell even watching on television (also by Jeffery's own admission that he fired the fish 14 min before serving) that fish  was completely over cooked. It’s back to the beach with them spiffy sunglasses and bow tie for you. I’ll miss your perfectly coiffed hair. Apparently so will Padma. 

Stefan (and the rest of the Red Team) look completely relieved. Consider this your welcome back present. I doubt the judges will be as kind next time. 

Week 2‘s in the bag. Next week?

Thanksgiving special! I don’t know about your family, but expect a lot of turkey, stuffing, tears and terms of endearment shouted across the room.

What did you think? Do you think the veterans learned their lesson? How long will Carla last with her drama act? Will John Tesar get into a fight? 

Personally I'm really glad we got right down to business and started cooking right away.

Oh did I mention Last Chance Kitchen is back??  (YES!) That's the REAL shocker this week!

Have a great week people and I'll see you next week! 

Feel free to follow me on twitter @ChezWu!

Top Chef Seattle - Episode 1 Recap: “The Ultimate Chef Test”

Top Chef season 10 heads to Seattle, where I’m sure we’ll see a salmon challenge at some point and at least one guest judge wearing flannel. 

This season 21 cooks compete for that coveted feature in Food and Wine magazine, a showcase at the Annual Food and Wine Classic in Aspen, $125,000 provided by Healthy Choice (maker of the ironically titled product - Top Chef Frozen Foods) and of course, the all important title of Top Chef.

The coveted blue Top Chef coat

The never-aging Padma Lakshmi and Papa Bear Tom Colicchio host the show and lead the judging table that, here in Seattle, will include James Beard award winner Hugh Acheson and culinary “superstar” Emeril Legasse. Legasse has apparently been downgraded from his previously credited 'legend' status because this season the Top Chef producers have also brought in “Legendary Chef and Restaurant pioneer,” Wolfgang Puck. At this rate Escoffier himself will show up and judge Top Chef Season 20.

Here. We. Go. 

As per usual for the past few seasons, we start with an “amuse-bouche” round, a little something to get your appetite going before heading to Seattle. The 21 'cheftastants' get split up into 4 groups and head to each chef judges’ restaurant for a “personally designed challenge” to decide who gets to move on. 

We start off  at Tom Colicchio’s Craft Los Angeles.

Right away we’re introduced to potential villain John Tesar, who name-drops Anthony Bourdain and apparently is “The Most Hated Chef in Dallas.” (By D Magazine)

Then there’s Accent lady, Mustache guy, Ethnic guy, and the Chubby guy who is already sweating. Don’t worry. They’ll get names if they make it through. Names are for closers.

Tom explains that he’s going to test them the same way he tests all chefs who comes through his kitchen. They’ll basically work there for a day. Prep, butcher, and cook during actual service. Just do what you normally do. Sounds simple right? *shakes head*

We see the immaculate kitchen at Craft, and the chefs begin to mingle and get comfortable with their environment. Tom calls this a "little" kitchen, which like calling Tom a "little" terrifying. Craft's kitchen is one of those airy, cathedral-like spaces where everything seems shiny and spotless. 

Tasks are given. Right away Chubby guy is in trouble. “Do you always butcher with a paring knife?” Tom asks. Cubby guy obviously never watched the show. If Tom is ANYTHING he is a stickler for terms and formality. Don’t call it coq au vin if it’s not a old rooster, a paella needs to have a charred bottom crust, and always peel the skin off red peppers. Oh did I mention Chubby guy is now flop sweating?

Ethnic guy is literally butchering this fish. Sigh. Justo would be sad.

Mustache guy was over-confident and despite having a reputation of being a butcher...hacked up the chicken without asking Tom how he wants it done. Not good.

Meanwhile....

We go to Vegas! Emeril’s here at Table 10 with his group of 5 chefs and their personally designed challenge is to make soup.  Emeril takes soup very seriously, “For the average person soup sounds very simple...but it's not. It's about ingredients, it about depth of flavor, it's about passion.”  

Passion for soup

Here we meet Mustache guy #2, Exotic guy, 2 cooks with matching tattoos who despite working together, living in the same building and have aforementioned matching tattoos, are NOT lesbians (Cook #1 felt the need to clarify on camera as her eyes looks up and to the right...) and Red Shirt cook

Tattoo Cook #2 used to be a model. She currently holds my Michael Voltaggio Trophy thus far (Crush of the Season.)

Exotic guy is half Chinese, half Norwegian German. He’s confident that his globe trotting experience would earn him a spot. Because you know, having been to Ethiopia makes you an expert in cooking Ethiopian food. He and Tattoo cook #2 were on screen cooking side by side briefly. They would make beautiful dishes together.  Alas, he doesn’t cook that direction. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! I digress.

Back to the food. Emeril’s very concerned that Exotic guy’s gazpacho won’t be cold enough. Very concerned. “If he gives me a hot gazpacho, he’s out.”

Ok soups on.

Emeril’s playing it close to the vest. Some criticism here and there but nothing too harsh. Being the super nice guy that he is, he always counters a criticism with a balancing praise. 

Kristen Kish (Model cook/Tattoo Cook #2) moves on with her English Pea broth with lemon peel (poached three times!) diced apple, scallops, crème fraiche. 

Jeffery Jew (Exotic cook) gets an instant nod by pulling off a chilled watermelon tomato gazpacho, peppers and ceviche.  

Thank goodness it's chilled.

Joshua Valentine (Mustache guy #2) passes with a roasted corn and coconut soup with mussels. 

All three soups look delicious. Emeril is right! The soups does give us a glimpse of the chefs' personalities. From Josh’s heartiness with the corn, to Kristen’s deftly executed pea broth, to Jeffery’s bold and daring chilled gazpacho.  All three could be serious contenders.

Red Shirt cook and Tattoo cook #1 get left behind. Sadness ensues.

..............

Back in LA with Tom.

Service time. Tom wants to see how the cooks react in real life situations. For me this was obviously the most challenging test. It’s basically 3 tests in one. Tom’s been here since day one so he knows exactly what situations the contestants will have to go through throughout the course of the season. You pass this test and you’ll have a leg up on the others.

To the stations! 

I'm not a contestant. I work here.

Right away John Tesar gets the nod. The guy’s been cooking since the 80’s and obviously got chops. Tom gives him a hearty bro-shake and sends him off to grab a Top Chef coat. If John can keep his temper down (big IF) and focus on cooking, he is clearly an early favorite. Others are hoping that John already got booted. Not the case.

Chubby guy is now both figuratively and literally sweating.

--------------------

Off to Beverly Hills and restaurant Cut. Ladies and gentlemen, the Legend himself, Wolfgang Puck.

The task here: omelet. Many chefs have said that the way to judge a cook is by how they make an omelet. I could cite sources but if you haven’t heard that before you’re probably not reading this recap.

Legend

They have 45 minutes to make an omelet. 45 mins! According to Culinary Yoda Jacques Pepin, a perfect French omelet takes just a few minutes to make. This better be one freaking good omelet.

The group here is a bit nondescript, save for the dramatically accented Carla Pellegrino (of the famous Rao’s, featured in Top Chef Season 8: All Stars) and Kuniko Yagi, whose black chef’s coat and straight dark hair makes her look like the villain in a Japanese horror movie. 

Everyone rushes around trying to make the most complicated omelets ever.

Wait. Did Danny O’Brien from Seasonal Pantry in DC just refer to Kuniko as “origami?!”

He did. He’s also the only guy who got sent home. Apparently having “the number 1 restaurant on Yelp after being open for 11 months” couldn’t save his bacon-greased eggs. Seasonal Pantry is a great place and serves delicious food, but that origami comment and his smugness about Yelp was a little off putting. 

I gotta say. Tom Colicchio would have sent ALL OF THEM home for the plates they dare called “omelet.” All except for Crissy Camba who presented an actual omelet, the rest were over done scrambled eggs hidden underneath salads. 

Wolfgang did have the quote of the episode, “A stove is like a woman, it never does what it’s supposed to do.” Wow, way to remind us that you're old-school Wolfgang. Expect lots of zingers from this “legend and restaurant pioneer” this season.

--------------------

Let’s head to Atlanta, Empire State South where Top Chef Master darling Hugh Acheson rounds up the final group of 5 chefs. Hugh also describes his test as one he gives all his cooks - 45 minutes for a composed salad. 

Apparently if you know how to make soup, omelet, and a salad then you are all set getting a job in a Top Chef caliber kitchen! 

The standouts here are Hawaiian chef Sheldon Simeon and Brooke Williamson.  Sheldon is a People’s Best New Chef Pacific Northwest by Food and Wine magazine. Yeah, he might know his way around the ingredients from and around Seattle. Advantage Sheldon. 

Hugh being snarky

Brooke Williamson, the lovely girl next door heavily tattooed mommy got the instant nod for her fried kale salad with brussels sprout leaves and lemon vinaigrette. 

Sheldon follows suit with his own version of a fried brussels sprout salad and wins a coveted chef’s coat.  

Belgian chef Bart Vandaele, who is also a knight, gets by with lobster and bacon with some asparagus and beets. Red headed baby cook Danyele “with a Y” McPherson slips through with “propaney” tasting grilled tomatoes. 

"Salad"

The only cast-off here was Gina Keatley, self proclaimed tiger woman whose over-cooked zucchini and weighty salad got her the boot. Gina disagrees. She says she’s not just a chef and nutritionist; she’s a movement. Too bad she didn’t move them zucchini off the grill early enough. 

Note to self. When in doubt, throw them veggies in the deep fryer. Either that or serve some lobster and pork belly with some greens and call it a salad. 

Moment of the evening. Bart raised his arms in celebration as Gina starts to do the walk of shame. The joy of victory/agony of defeat in one shot. Heartwarming moment. 

----------------------

Wrapping up service at Tom’s kitchen.

4 chefs left. Arguably the most important service of their cooking career. What does Chubby cook do? Stands around and look bored. If Tom Colicchio thinks you’re timid, chances are you’re not Top Chef material. 

The word Chef is derived from the word Chief. To be a chief in the kitchen means you’re a leader of the team. There is no such thing as a timid leader. Spoiler alert: Chubby cook doesn’t get a name.

Mustache guy’s beurre fondue is too salty. You know you’re in trouble if Tom asks with a furled brow, “Did you taste this?” Spoiler #2: Apparently there can be only 1 mustache guy this season, and you my friend, don’t look like Kevin Gillespie. 

Always skin your red peppers!

Service is over and it’s judgment time. 

As a Top Chef cook, there’s probably nothing more intimidating than standing in front of Tom Colicchio after a challenge. It seems like everything you’ve ever done in your entire career, your worth, your soul is being judged. *shudder*

Lizzie Bender (Accent cook) knows how to make tortellini and risotto. If you can make Tom happy with your risotto, you’re a force to be reckoned with. She could be a dark horse in this fight. Blue coat for her.

Micah Fields (Ethnic cook) can’t butcher fish, but he knows how to cook a duck. His aggressiveness around the kitchen and being comfortable in the element earns him a blue coat.

There you have it. 15 out of 21 cooks survive the prelim. 

Now we get a blurb of the season to come...here’s what we can expect:

-Gratuitous running around footage.

-Mud. There will be mud (and a lot of digging)

-Roller derby!! 

-A lot of “we gonna use THAT?!” *Shock*

-Yes. A foot massage.

-Anna Ferris is pregnant, and the bearded guy from Parks and Rec is funny.

-”Emotions run high.” (It never runs low does it.)

-Joshua Valentine actually morphs into Kevin Gillespie.

-John Tesar reminds people why he’s the “Most Hated Chef in Dallas.”

-Carla Pellegrino makes loud and dramatic gestures.

-And...judges get snarky.

With that, Top Chef Season 10 kicks off. I hope this will be an exciting season and that they put the focus back on the cooking. There's a lot of talent and a lot of characters this season. Now we’ll just have to figure out how many times we’ll hear someone say, “Go big or go home!”

Feel free to follow me on twitter @ChezWu!

Top Chef All Stars Episode 15 Recap: Last Supper

Padma Lakshmi and guest judge Wolfgang Puck

On this week’s Top Chef All Stars episode 15 (Last Supper): Only 3 chefs remain and this is the last episode before the Top Chef All Stars season finale. The kitchen heats up in this week’s episode – and in the most wonderful way ever!  My all-time favorite chef Wolfgang Puck chimes in as this week’s Top Chef guest judge!! I’m doing the happy dance.

And now here is the Top Chef All Stars Episode 15 recap:

The episode opens with Richard Blais, Antonia Lafaso and Mike Isabella lamenting the departure of Tiffany Derry. Richard Blaise says sadly “Tiffany is a warrior”. Mike Izzy almost says something nice with “She’s a great cook. She’s a great chef. She’s a great person…”, but then finishes with “Top three here we come!”… Awe, Izzy, you came soo close…

There definitely seems to be a boys club theme, as neither Richard nor Mike seem to regard Antonia as a competitor and all I can do is hope she pulls out the big guns on this round.

Mike Isabella

The Quickfire:

This is the last Quickfire of the season and it just wouldn’t be right unless there was a little extra heat added to this challenge. The chefs walk into the kitchen to find Padma Lakshmi and celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck. The only chef who seems to be as excited as I am is Mike Isabella. Padma announces that the chefs will get to select a past Quickfire challenge to assign each other.  Mike Isabella assigns Antonia Lafaso the canned-goods challenge, Antonia assigns hot dogs to Richard Blais, and Richard assigns Mike to the one-pot challenge. Richard doesn’t seem to grasp that he’s not battling the old Mike Izzy – he’s battling the new and improved Mike Izzy (wish Mikey could have improved his mouth while improving his phat cooking skillz).

The chefs race off to prep their dishes. And just when they think they know what they’re up against, Padma pops in again to add another hurdle to their contest: the chefs get to assign each other a classic Top Chef twist. Richard assigns no utensils to Mike, Antonia assigns the one-hand challenge to Richard, and Mike assigns Antonia to the tag-team style challenge… And here’s where we get the best surprise: Antonia gets to tag-team with Carla Hall!! Hootie!

Antonia Lafaso and Carla Hall

• Antonia serves a Curry Coconut Soup with Shrimp, Andouille Sausage, Peanuts and Fish Sauce.
• Richard serves a Hot Dog on Handmade Roti Bread with Curry Ketchup, Mayo and Mint Leaves.
• Mike serves a Pork Shoulder with Black Beans, Chili Paste, Ginger and Cabbage Salad.

And the winner is… Mike Isabella. He gets to take home the $5000 Quickfire win. I want to be happy for him – I know Izzy has a good heart, but this actually means that he’ll be cockier than ever throughout the rest of this episode and since I can’t follow what happens if I mute my TV, I’ll have to be tortured by his incessant yammering instead.  Buggers.

There’s stinging disappointment in the faces of Richard and Antonia. Richard looks like he’s about to topple over with utter shock. Padma informs the chefs that there are some special guests waiting for them in the Cloisters at the Ocean Club and the chefs must meet them there. When the chefs arrive, who do they see waiting for them? None other than Michelle Bernstein and Masaharu Morimoto – and of course Padma Lakshmi and the fabulous Wolfgang Puck.

Mike Isabella is immediately blown away by Michelle Bernstein, while Antonia seems completely bedazzled by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto.

Masaharu Morimoto, Michelle Bernstein, Wolfgang & Padma

The Elimination Challenge

The chefs must prepare and serve a “Last Supper” to the three culinary icons. Each cheftestant is paired with a celebrity chef and since Mike Isabella won the Quickfire, he gets to go first. Mike picks Michelle Bernstein and then, to mess with Antonia, he assigns her to Iron Chef Morimoto. This leaves Richard with Wolfgang Puck.

And then Padma tells the chefs that there’ll be one more surprise, but they won't find out until later. Each chef meets with their celeb chef. Wolfgang tells Richard that he’d like Apple Strudel, Goulash and Spatzle for his last supper. Michelle Bernstein wants Mike Izzy to cook up fried chicken, biscuits and gravy. And Masaharu Morimoto wants Antonia to make miso soup, pickles and a Sashimi.

Back at their hotel room, Antonia calls Mike out for sticking her with bad challenges. And as the dirty rat bastard he is, he denies it all the way. Can’t wait to see them on the Top Chef All Stars reunion, after they’ve all watched the show. Then the show Antonia back in her room planning her big meal and worrying about being sent home. She gets a little teary – which makes me a little teary. I’ve never been Antonia’s biggest fan, but the girl’s got talent and she’s a strong woman. I’d love to see her smack Mike Izzy down a peg or two. Yeah, that’d be some good times...

Richard Blais

The next day the chefs arrive in the kitchen and begin prepping the “last suppers”. The chefs are about to burst under the pressure. Then Tom Colicchio (congrats daddy!) arrives in the kitchen and inspects the cheftestants’ progress. Tom thinks Mike definitely picked the easiest dish. Richard tells Tom that he feels like the underdog, but still thinks he’ll win on the last day. Tom thinks that Antonia has simplified her dish, but she could still win if she makes it the greatest dish ever.

Tom, Padma, Gail Simmons and the celebrity chefs arrive to the dining table, accompanied by award-winning portrait photographer and author Melanie Dunea. They toast to each other and then we see Antonia finishing up her dish, as she is the first to serve…

• Antonia Lafaso creates Tuna Sashimi with Pickled Daikon, Mushrooms and Eggplant, Miso Soup and Rice. Iron Chef Morimoto says the miso soup is too salty, but he doesn’t hate it, while Gail Simmons got blasted by spicy tuna. The dish received a couple of compliments, but it doesn’t look too good for our girl.
• Mike Isabella creates Fried Chicken with Pea Puree, Egg Yolk Empanada with Mustard Gravy. Michelle Bernstein was initially thrown by the empanada, but ended up really liking it. Nobody was “wowed” over Mike’s chicken.
• Richard Blais creates Beef Goulash, Spaetzle with Sour Cream and Apple Strudel with Tarragon Cream. You pretty much know Richard has this one when the noise after the first bites are “Mmmm…”, but he did undercook the onion.

The judges deliberate while the chefs completely stress out. The chefs are called back to the table where Padma tells them that the “Judges Table is starting now”. And who’s the big winner?

Richard Blais is the big winner!! He instantly gets to move on to the Top Chef finale – but I think we all pretty much expected that.

Mike Isabella, Antonia Lafaso & Richard Blais

Now it’s down to Antonia Lafaso and Mike Isabella. Only one will be moving on to the Top Chef finale. And this is where Padma whips out that “surprise” that she had mentioned earlier. Mike says “Oh shit”. Antonia and Mike must go head to head in another challenge to cook one more bite for each dinner guest (7 in all) in 45 minutes – they need to make it perfect and the best bite wins.

• Antonia Lafaso serves Seared Grouper in Coconut Lobster Broth with a Yam, Apple and Dill Pollen Relish.
• Mike Isabella serves Tempura Lobster over Beef Tartare with Caramelized Olives and Chimichurri Sauce.

We see Mike sweating like a pig as the judges debate. Antonia’s dish was bold and Mike Izzy’s dish was subtle. It’s a tie between the judges (three and three) with Wolfgang Puck as the tie-breaker. Mike and Antonia are called back in. And the judges review what they liked and didn’t like about each bite. Then Padma says…

“Antonia, please pack your knives and go.”

Antonia Lafaso packs her knives...

Antonia Lafaso is sent home and Mike Isabella makes it to the finale?? I kind saw this coming, but was honestly hoping for some sort of miracle. Even Padma looks as if she’s about to cry (which never happens).

Antonia, you may not have made it to the finale, but you are a rock star Top Chef in my book. I’m sure we’ll be seeing you everywhere soon.

Next week on Top Chef All Stars Episode 16: It’s the Top Chef Finale and Mike and Richard have to create the restaurant of their dreams with the help of ALL of the eliminated chefs – including Jamie Lauren?? The rest of the cheftestants return as sous chefs to assist Richard Blais and Mike Isabella in the final culinary battle for the title of “Top Chef”. Aussie Chef Curtis Stone (the new host of Top Chef Masters Season 3) is a guest judge.

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