Top Chef Power Rankings - Episode 9

(Click here for the podcast version.)

PLEASE READ BEFORE COMMENTING: Hey, all... apologies to anybody whose comments I've deleted, but I'm trying to keep this a spoiler-free zone (at least as far as eliminations are concerned), so in the comments section, anything that's already been broadcast is fair game, but anything that gives an indication of who might be eliminated ahead of time is off-limits. Thanks!

Ugh. Weeks like this may be good TV, they may be entertaining, and they may tell us a lot about how the chefs work with others, but for the Power Rankings? They're murder.

Here's the thing. The chefs didn't succeed or fail this week by cooking good or bad food. Yes, they cooked food both good and bad, but that was secondary. This week, they succeeded or failed by being smart or stupid. When you're preparing a huge catered event, working on a team, trying to please clients on one of the biggest days of their lives and working straight through the night to do it, being talented is a lot less important than making good decisions.

This didn't really apply, of course, to the quickfire. The mise en place relay was one of the greatest challenge ideas ever when they introduced it last year, and I hope it becomes a regular fixture. It's exciting, it's a pure test of skill, and it's always interesting to see who comes out knives blazing, and who gets exposed.

As for the elimination challenge, they should have stuck to the classics for the entire episode. Nobody wants the show to become stagnant, of course, but how do you axe restaurant wars? Or if you do, why replace it with wedding wars? I realize that season one's wedding challenge set some precedent for this, but on the week with the best team challenge potential (eight contestants remaining), the producers took the chefs and turned them into caterers. I'm not joining the chorus of disgruntled Top Chef fans who have taken to calling it Top Caterer by any means. I don't mind having some catering-style challenges mixed in. As I've said, I love variety and the show needs to stay fresh. But why this? Why now? And why at the expense of one of the most exciting classic Top Chef challenges for a group of contestants that, almost without exception, aspire to open their own restaurants? It's no travesty, but it is unfortunate, and I hope it's something they correct next season. Freshen it up somehow if you feel it necessary, but bring back restaurant wars. It's a wildly popular favorite for a reason.

Trying to deconstruct how well the chefs cooked this week was frustrating even for me. There were some dishes that were obviously the work of certain chefs, but most of them appeared to be collaborative efforts, some were conceived by certain chefs and executed by others, only about a third of the food is covered by recipes on the website and, generally speaking, it's almost impossible in many cases to know who, precisely, is responsible for what. That problem, combined with the fact that it's a catering challenge and quite possibly the last team challenge of the season (they might do one with six chefs remaining, but I can't see them doing it with four or two), and I'm reluctant to weigh this week too heavily when it comes to juggling the rankings -- but there's some movement nonetheless.

Wins

Top

Bottom

1 Richard Quickfires 4 7 1 Last Week: 1 Eliminations 3 4 1 Richard clearly fell into the "smart" category this week, and he just keeps on rolling. Okay, I thought picking the bride was pretty stupid, but it worked out pretty well for him, so I suppose that makes him smarter than me. As I read around, there's a large crowd knocking his decision to do a braised brisket. It was too simple and too easy, they say. And they're right, it was simple and easy. He basically slathered the briskets with Cajun spices, seared them and then slow-roasted them with brown sugar and mustard. But who here thinks Richard hasn't yet proven he can do creative, technically challenging dishes? Anyone? Show of hands? Exactly. He played it smart. He picked the right week to dial it back a bit and make a simple, satisfying dish that would be easy to scale, easy to transport and easy to hold. Also, while the website credits Antonia with the pulled pork "sandwiches", the pickles on top were done with rice vinegar, tarragon, turmeric, mustard seed and chile flakes. I could be wrong, but that has Richard written all over it, and it was his idea to do it with phyllo, so I'm thinking he was heavily involved there. Also, though I can't find hard evidence of it anywhere, Richard mentions "taking care of all the meats, all the sauces, all the braises" so I think the horseradish sauce that Padma and Tom were curiously gaga over was his as well. So he made some good food, and even if he wasn't an official "team leader", per se, it's clear he was doing a lot of the driving. Note also that the one guy who was getting irritated with his suggestions rather than listening to what he had to say ended up being the weak link at judges' table. All in all, another great week for Richard, right down to deferring to his teammate, yet again, when it came time to claim credit.

2 Dale Quickfires 1 4 2 Last Week: 2 Eliminations 2 4 1 This was not a banner week for Dale, but I don't think it reflects on his chances the way some seem to feel it does. Much has been made of his trouble with team challenges, but while some want to label him as somebody who doesn't play well with others, I'd amend that to read that he doesn't play well with those whose skill he doesn't respect. I don't know if that's any better, but it's a notable distinction, I think. The fact is that he's one of the most talented chefs in the competition, and he got saddled with arguably the three weakest remaining contestants. He responded poorly, but predictably for anybody who's been watching. What I find sympathetic about him in these situations is that he's frustrated by the same things we are. We find Lisa's negativity grating. We can't believe Nikki's balking at the prospect of making mayonnaise without a blender. We're annoyed that Spike asks him to take over the zucchini when it's obvious he's already shouldering the load. But we don't have to work with them. He does, at least temporarily, and the guy needs to learn how to get along with and relate to those he doesn't feel (usually rightly) are at his level. Fortunately for him, he might not have to the rest of the way out. So I could ding him for the attitude, but that seems kind of senseless, considering that's it's unlikely to be an issue going forward. As for his food, of course it was weak. He did the work of three people, and it wasn't just the editing and his indignant claims that made it seem so. In one of the bonus videos on the website, Antonia agreed that he was working like a madman. Of course, she goes on to say that what he was making was terrible, but how can anybody execute under those circumstances? He should have spoken up, but I'm guessing he knew he wasn't going to be able to do so in a constructive manner, so he chose instead to keep his head down and workworkwork. It was a bad decision, a symptom of his poor attitude and it resulted in mediocre food, but I don't think he was ever in any real danger. The upshot to being saddled with everything is that even if you do a lousy job of it, everybody else looks just as bad, if not worse, for putting you in that position.

3 Antonia Quickfires 3 4 1 Last Week: 4 Eliminations 1 5 3 I've been rough on Antonia at times, and I still don't think she has any hope of winning. But, good work is good work and she's regaining some of that early season consistency that had her nipping at the heels of the favorites. She was lauded for her pizzas, which sounds about right. They aren't complicated, but when you're cooking pizzas, small changes in technique pay big dividends, and technique is something that's never been a question with Antonia -- despite the fact that even I can supreme oranges faster than that. Antonia's got a little swagger back, she's marching toward the finals and I think she'll probably make it. You won't find me putting money on her to win, though.

4 Stephanie Quickfires 1 2 3 Last Week: 5 Eliminations 2 6 3 As confidence boosters go, praise from Gale Gand for your overnight wedding cake has to be pretty high on the charts (even if Gale confessed that lemon and chocolate isn't really her thing). I'm not sure that Stephanie's cooking this week had any real bearing on the competition, but as we all know, her nemesis is herself, and managing pretty well under trying circumstances has to have her feeling pretty good right now. The website also credits her with the short ribs and bleu cheese in phyllo canapé, and that's her style all over, so I'm thinking that attribution is probably correct. There's absolutely no clue as to how the ribs themselves were prepared, but the rest of the recipe looks nice and it sounds like it was well-received, even it if was a little messy. If it's a three person final, she's going to be on the bubble. If she's on, I think she makes it, but she can't screw around anymore. So we'll see if this week helps her get herself back in the game.

5 Andrew Quickfires 1 2 1 Last Week: 3 Eliminations 1 5 1 Andrew's time in the top three was rather short-lived, as he once again calls into question his ability to produce consistently. I do think he had a better week than it might seem at first glance, but his hold on that third spot was more than a little tenuous, so I'm busting him down anyway. He tore through the artichokes (a real pain to turn, if you've never done it), but really, is anybody surprised that he's a high-speed prep machine? As for the elimination, I'm going to stand up for him here, if only a little. Yes, he was one of the stupid people this week. Breaded + fried + chafing dish = bleh. But Tom's criticism that he made the same thing last week? That's not exactly fair. They were both chicken paillards, and Andrew should have known better, especially after doing faux caviar three freaking times. But to call last week and this week the same is to make a surface comparison. This week's chicken looks like a really nice recipe. The chicken is brined with star anise, mustard seed, fennel, coriander, cardamom, bay leaf, juniper and honey, the crust has a nice assortment of spices and fresh herbs, and the yuzu butter sauce sounds wonderful. I'm betting that Andrew had the start to a great dish last week, but he was constrained by the challenge. In his zeal to take it from great to awesome, he charged ahead without stopping to consider that this probably wasn't the best venue for it. So while he clearly blew it, I bet this is a great dish under other circumstances, and I understand and admire that compulsion to tweak and adjust and make it even better. Of course, he also made a lousy creamed spinach and Antonia and Stephanie did well, so down he goes. I think he has a shot at a four person finals, but I just don't see him making the top three without a huge stroke of luck.

6 Spike Quickfires 0 2 4 Last Week: 6 Eliminations 0 1 3 Holding steady at number six is Spike, by which I mean he's steadily unsteady. I even thought about dropping him below Lisa this week, but I just can't bump her up for making a chocolate hazelnut cake. If I knew for a fact that he was responsible for conceptualizing the boring vegetable spread rather than simply executing it, I'd do it, but his highest-profile contribution was a dish that was universally praised, which keeps him out of the basement. It's worth noting, however, that while I'm sure his Chilean sea bass with artichokes was nice, the truth is that between this week and last week, his sea bass and pasta puttanesca were more similar than Andrew's chicken paillards. I think Spike's a talented chef who's skilled at many things and master of none. This ability to do a lot of things competently has carried him far, but his time is running out. In this field, anything short of excellence isn't going to cut it. I give him three weeks, max -- probably less.

7 Lisa Quickfires 0 1 5 Last Week: 7 Eliminations 1 3 3 Also holding her spot is Lisa, who I want to put higher, but I just can't. Lisa's been a lot of unfulfilled promise. The chocolate ziggurat is the first good thing she's done since winning four weeks ago, and no matter how much promise she flashed and no matter how much the Bravo bloggers talk about her as though she's one of the most talented chefs remaining, there comes a point where you have to work to your potential or go home. Maybe I should be taking that tone from those who were there as a hint that she's going to make a late move. There's dark horse potential here, but until it's realized, she's sitting in the basement. And for those keeping score? It's now seven weeks since she's done her "specialty", upscale Asian. If anybody knows what that’s all about, by all means, do let me know.

8 Nikki Quickfires 0 0 4 Last Week: 8 Eliminations 0 2 3 This past Wednesday, at approximately 11:10 EST, Michael Midgley did his best '72 Dolphins impersonation by cracking some champagne and celebrating Nikki's demise. Or at least he should have. I know my wine rack was down a bottle going into the weekend. By finally blowing it this week, Nikki's streak of unwarranted survival came to a screeching halt at eight weeks, one shy of the nine episodes that Mikey managed to defy all logic, to say nothing of culinary convention and the very laws of time and space. Nikki had to basically do everything wrong to make it happen, but ladies and gentlemen, our national nightmare is now over. I'm sure Top Chef nation let out a collective groan when JP Marchetti revealed his family's love of simple Italian cuisine, but a few minutes later when Nikki realized she'd inadvertently stuck her neck out and started backtracking like a sleep-deprived politician, you knew it was over. First, when her teammates peg her for mayonnaise duty, she acts like they're asking her to shuck oysters with her teeth. And then, not only does the Italian specialist design a menu that would put the Carrabba's crowd to sleep, but she turns tail, becomes one with her inner coward, and then manages to botch the one dish she has actually has direct control over. Don't get me wrong, she seems like a perfectly lovely person. It's just that, as usual, Dale said what all of us were thinking. Relax, everybody. It's been a long, inexplicable run, but we no longer need wonder why Nikki is still here.

With Nikki gone, things get really interesting. As I see it, next week is the very first episode where a contender's elimination is guaranteed (provided, of course, the judges don't throw one of those "we're not eliminating anybody this week" curveballs). At this point, honestly, nobody's safe. If the elimination challenge were taking place in a real kitchen, I'd feel comfortable assuming that Richard, Dale and Antonia would all live to see another week, but serving offsite for Chicago's finest-to-be? It's dangerous, no matter how good you are. After the terribly misleading teasers of the past few weeks, I'm through trying to speculate what happens based on the tiny snippets the editors throw our way. But I think I can safely say that nothing from here on out will surprise me.

Discuss!

Comments

[Perry]

I look forward to reading your new rankings each week. While it is still possible for Richard to lose, I think he has proven to be the real top chef of this year. Every chef that has worked with Richard has instinctively fallen in line under Richard’s leadership. And that in it self is what a chef is.

Keep up the great work.

[Steve]

You're so right -- restaurant wars is my favorite, it incorporates everything that a top chef is really going to have to pull off in the real world, as opposed to some of the more gimmicky and corporate-sponsored challenges which sometimes feel like jumping through hoops. It's the one episode (and last year, two episodes! I suppose we're paying for that now) where I can really put myself in their shoes and imagine their dream all the way to their end goal. Alas.

[bill]

I'd personally shift a few people around, but your descriptions of the chefs are accurate. What I think is interesting, is that Richard is the only one who has consistently taken a leadership role. Even Stephanie, who owned her own restaurant, has tended to stay in the background. Despite agreeing with just about everything Dale had to say, his inability to step up and and attempt to give some focus to his team was frustrating. Sure, the other three did their best to sabotage him through self-preservation efforts; but despite "flat out hustling" he wasn't much better. It was one of the Bravo bloggers who said that Dale should have stepped back and asked "What would Richard do?" I think what we saw here was a talented chef with 10 years less experience than his main rival.

I attended a cooking demonstration class two years ago with Richard Blais and here's a couple of comments I made at the time that I feel he's aptly demonstrated on Top Chef:

Definately in promotional mode, said he'd love to do more TV. He's very high energy and has a self-deprecating humor that would probably go over great on television. His enthusiasm for food reminded me a lot of the late Jamie Shannon of Commander's Palace and Turner South's Off The Menu.

....

Talking about all the modern techinques he uses, he insisted it be used for a purpose. If it doesn't make the food taste better, then what's the point. Also said that "food should taste natural, but don't use that as a crutch to avoid flavor." In a fake French accent he admonished us "it should taste like a zucchini," then switching back to himself, "if that's all you want, just eat a raw zucchini."

[peterme]

I don't quite appreciate your crush on Dale. Yes, we know he's a good cook. But he doesn't strike me as a Top Chef, because a TC must inspire followership, and Dale has never demonstrated leadership. Both Antonia and Stephanie have shown leadership, and obviously Blais has it in spades. When Dale excels, it's either on his own, or *following* someone he respects.

Imagine the last episodes of the season, where the cheftestants are teamed with someone who was dropped earlier. Which of them are going to want to help Dale win?

[Skillet Doux]

"I don't quite appreciate your crush on Dale. Yes, we know he's a good cook. But he doesn't strike me as a Top Chef, because a TC must inspire followership, and Dale has never demonstrated leadership."

You raise an interesting point, peterme, but I guess my response is, "Says who?"

As discussed throughout the season, there are no hard and fast rules. Of course leadership is valued and it's the kind of thing the judges like to lean on for team challenges and when it's such a close call that they're digging for ways to separate the contestants. But the bottom line is that whoever cooks the best food is going to walk away with the prize.

You're not the only one who feels the way you do -- comments and forums are ablaze with people saying "so-and-so can't win because he isn't a leader". But this notion that leadership is somehow mandatory is a construction of the audience, not the judges. The idea is sort of a remnant of the first season, when Howard and Tiffani were very, very close and the judges were looking at a lot of factors other than their food. But who's won since then? Ilan and Hung. How, exactly, were they good leaders who everybody wanted to work with?

You're right that making enemies could come back to bite him in the ass in the finals since they might bring back eliminated contestants to help, but there are an awful lot of ifs involved there -- if they do, if he gets stuck with an enemy, if he can't overcome it, if he isn't smart enough to offer them a cut of the prize -- and I don't think that possibility is compelling enough to hurt him much, if any, in the rankings.

[Magi]

You are the first person I've read who sees Dale the way I do. He definitely needs more maturing, but he's got the chops to go all the way. However, I can't see Richard being unseated unless there is a screw-up of magnificent proportions.

My top three from almost day one have been Richard, Stephanie, and Dale.

[sweetsalty]

To play devil's advocate, though, Ilan won in a very weak season, and I don't remember anyone really being blown away by anything he did, or anyone else- I may be remembering wrong, but that's how I see it. And while Hung did win while not necessarily playing well with others, he also had a skill level so far above anyone on that season, it would've been difficult to give it to anyone else. While Dale is really talented, he doesn't blow Richard away by any means, and Richard is a far better leader (Harold and Tiffani seem like a much more apt comparison). I'm not ruling him out based on his personality and teamwork, just saying it's more of a factor this year than in those two examples.

[Travis]

I love your power rankings. Your comments about each chef tend to be right on target.

I agree that this season feels a little bit too full of catering challenges and shameless product placement.

I can't tell you how glad i was that Nikki FINALLY got sent home. I've been thinking it was her time since that macaroni fiasco at the block party. If Lisa and Spike end up being the next two go go home (which i think is likely, baring something crazy happening), things should get really interesting.

I think Richard has this in the bag. Although the salmon scaling incident shows that even a small lapse in concentration can send you home. He showed pure class giving Steph credit this week. I'm glad he's toned down the molecular gastronomy a bit, maybe he realized that every dish like that is a huge risk (salmon with wasabi and white chocolate!?!) and any failure would do so in grand fashion, surely sending him home. It seems as though he realized that every single risky dish succeeding in every show of the season was pretty unlikely and toned things down a bit. His smoker breaking may have been the best thing that has happened to him. I suspect we'll see a return of the adventurous, balls to the wall Richard if he makes it to the final. It'd be nice to see someone win Top Chef that i really genuinely like. Hopefully he won't screw this up.

[Skillet Doux]

Sweetsalty...

Oh, I absolutely agree. And that's why I have him at number two, behind Richard :-)

Even if Antonia was a saint, I think Dale will cook circles around her in the later, freeform challenges. Stephanie has it in her, I think, but she's been very shaky at times. And really, who from the rest of the field looks like they can keep it close enough in the food department to edge him on leadership and teamwork? I don't disagree with those who think Dale has significant problems in the personality department, but given what is necessary to win Top Chef, who looks stronger than Dale right now other than Richard?

Also, as an aside, yes, I agree, this season has an unusually strong field. But still, when you're talking about the late stages of the show, Sam, Marcel and Cliff (I was never sold on Elia) aren't exactly easy competition either. Ditto Dale, Casey and Tre. Even in the weaker seasons, there's been enough talent at the end to keep things close.

[Skillet Doux]

Travis...

Agreed. Anybody can go home at any time. Even Richard. It won't take much of a stumble now.

And I think you're right, as we get into the final stages (assuming he survives) and he has prime ingredients, a big kitchen, creative freedom and time, he's going to bust out the funky stuff again. He used it early to make his mark, he spent the middle episodes hanging back a bit and saving his silver bullets, and he'll start to let them fly very shortly.

I like Richard a lot. He's cheese all over, but it's so over-the-top and, I think, charmingly self-aware that he gets away with it. Also, unlike many of the other chefs, he isn't focusing simply on a win as a stepping stone in his career -- he's making the most of every moment he has on camera.

[DaveP]

Dom,

Another blog that echoes exactly what I felt about the episode. Dale has shown he can work with people, and very successfully, in the past. Richard, Stephanie and (I guess) Andrew--he has zero problems working with people he considers his peers. It is a detriment to him that he can't work with people who aren't as talented, since he will surely have to if he hopes to open his own restaurant. Richard, otoh, has shown clearly that he is the consumate team player and leader. If I were selecting a soux chef, the contest would be close, but if I were looking for an executive chef, it's Richard in a landslide. Hopefully, he'll learn a bit more patience in the future.

I thought Steph stepped up a lot more than Antonia this week. A wedding cake in less than a day? Are you kidding me? And it looked gorgeous (yes, Lisa's tasted better, but let's face it, wedding cakes are all about presentation). I did part of a wedding cake many, many years ago and it took forever! Kudos to Richard for recognizing her work too.

I'd been rooting for Spike, his damn butternut squash soup and all, but now he's just annoying the hell out of me. Dale may have not handled himself the best this week, but his quip about Spike's bass tasting good, because he had 3 hours to work on it was right on. Let's see what other crap he pulls next week--those trailers can be really misleading, but at the very least, it looks like he's #5 from the top.

After rewatching some of the past episodes (thanks to Bravo for the endless reruns), I finally figured out what's bugging me about Antonia. She's a food snob, but without the guns to back it up. She looks down her nose at "pub fare" like Polish sausage, but her best dishes are comparable, homey, comfort food. You wanna pull a Marcelle, you really need to back it up a bit more.

Anyway, looking forward to another great blog. My prediction for next week's elimination: Spike or Lisa (Spike, because of the trailer, red herrings and all).

--
Dave

[Steve]

Dale's absolutely my favorite, and I think your commentary on him has been spot on. But you just get the feeling that the judges are getting ready to eliminate him at the first mistake he makes. As a betting man I am going to say that he isn't going to make it to the finals, though I am praying that he does.

I don't think these episodes have done justice to Dale's talent. It's obv the guy doesn't work well in groups, and he's pretty much rocked every non-group challenge (unfortunately scarce). While Blais is clearly the top dog here, the only difference between Dale and Blais is experience imo. I actually believe Dale's technique is very close if not completely on par with Hung's. It's just the fact that the challenges this year haven't really been the most fitting ones to show off one's technique, coupled with the fact that Hung was far ahead of his peers in his season. Dale was, after all, once the Chef de Cuisine at Morimoto -- that fact alone should be a huge sign that he is one of the top talents in this competition.

P.S. Am I the only one who has only recently discovered that Blais is actually a renowned chef in Atlanta and has been on Iron Chef America?

[Skillet Doux]

"P.S. Am I the only one who has only recently discovered that Blais is actually a renowned chef in Atlanta and has been on Iron Chef America?"

You're definitely not the only one, but that's what I was alluding to very early on when I said he could almost be considered a ringer :-)

[=R=]

The quickfire was so satisfying to watch and such a perfect instance of direct, relevant competition between contestants, it almost makes it feel as if the rest of the challenges are completely superfluous. When it comes down to is chef vs. chef, matching skills they'd likely use in their everyday work, it makes for very compelling tv, especially for food geeks like myself.

Perhaps for ordinary audiences, watching this type of competition over and over again might get tedious but I think I'd have to watch quite a bit of it before it became tiresome to me. Perhaps because judging finished dishes can be a very abitrary process, some of the Top Chef challenges don't really feel like they settle anything. Ultimately, success depends on who's doing the tasting. But there's nothing aribtrary about 2 chefs versus the clock. I think that's what makes watching such challenges so compelling for me. I wish we'd see more challenges that focused on fundamental kitchen skills. I guess that they don't really make for great, universally watchable television, which is really a shame.

=R=

[Lon]

Top Chef seems so dependent on on product "placement" and sponsors that I wonder if they were not able to find a company willing to provide the space for a restaurant wars.

I also see the constant need on the part of the producers to "change things around", i.e. replacing Gail Simmons with other judges (although I think that probably has more to do with her other commitments than anything else); twisting the challenges just slightly, etc. Even the mis en place relay this year was a lot different than last year.

As viewers we like to compare between seasons so we don't like too much change. But producers are very vulnerable to "similarity" issues. Too many shows have gone down the tube because every show, every season is just like its predecessors.

Sometime I'd like to see the producers run a poll on viewers favorite episodes and use those as the basis for a season.

[Tom]

Insightful commentary as usual from everyone. I agree with most of your points, but just wanted to pick up on a couple things.

I think Dale is getting a bad rep as a team player. No one complained about him during the block party challenge, and even Lisa admitted to working well with Dale during the elements challenge. As for the zoo challenge, well...our good friend, Nikki, was squarely at the center of that conflict when she demanded the team buy flowers for the table and return food to make the budget. She then put together a mushroom dish that was not only aesthetically unpleasant, but also lacking in flavor (on all levels). When the team (Dale, Spike, and Nikki) opted not to serve the mushrooms, Nikki single-handedly made the decision to serve the now-cold mushrooms anyway. Who wasn't the team player in that challenge?

I guess I sympathize with Dale, because I've been in that role: the one who is doing all the work, while others put on a show. My strategy has always been to put my nose to the grindstone and work through the resentment - that seems to be what Dale attempted here, though not so successfully. Dale has some learning to do, but his skills are obvious.

Put me in the Richard fan club as well. His abilities coupled with his good humor and knowledge practically guarantee him a spot in the finals. I think your rankings are spot-on.

[Andy]

In my opinion, we need more episodes like the CIA episode in season 3, and Restaurant Wars. They were compelling, exciting, and completely relevant to being a "chef." This season, more than any of the previous focuses too much on catering and not enough on chefly qualities.

[Todd]

FYI, TiVo lists "Restaurant Wars" as the name of the episode next week (with 6 chefs left).

[Skillet Doux]

Oooooo, nice catch, Todd.

Thanks for the heads-up!

[anon man]

I feel vindicated somehow. I don't see Antonia winning but I see her as top female, joining the ranks of Casey and Tiffany and Elia.

[Skillet Doux]

PLEASE READ BEFORE COMMENTING

Hey, all!

Apologies to anybody whose comments I've deleted, but I'm trying to keep this a spoiler free zone... anything that's been broadcast is fair game, but anything that reveals eliminations ahead of the time is strictly verboten.

Thanks!

[Tim]

I agree that Dale has a lot of talent and the closest competition to Richard. But I think his inability to play with other children in the sandbox has sealed his demise. If the final round is a team challenge consisting of the last 6 players, I think it should be an easy win for Richard. I think Richard is a shoo-in for one of the final two, considering that the last several competitions are based on fine dining and wine pairing. The other spot - if there is just one other chef - will most likely go to Dale or Stefanie (with Antonia as an outside shot). If Richard is to go against Dale, he's going to have the advantage of having a more inspired and motivated team (especially after turning the win over to Stef). If the other finalist is anyone else, they (meaning 'she') will most likely pass over Dale and Richard will pick him up recreating the amazing duo that trumped movie night with 'perplexed tofu.' Of course it all comes down to how Top Chef play out the final round.
On another note, I think Stef's cake was played up too much. I'm a former baker and I suspect she took some shortcuts (like using real flowers instead of piping on decorations). The cake we know was made from scratch, but how about the rolled fondant? If I'm not mistaken, you can buy them premade but unrolled, rolled sheets, and rolled rounds. If she did use prefab rolled fondants, the most technically challenging aspect of the cake would correctly placing the wooden dowels for balance and evenness. That's pretty much cake decorating 101, I'm sure, for a culinary school graduate.

[Skillet Doux]

"If I'm not mistaken, you can buy them premade but unrolled, rolled sheets, and rolled rounds. If she did use prefab rolled fondants, the most technically challenging aspect of the cake would correctly placing the wooden dowels for balance and evenness."

Per Lee Anne's blog, she did, indeed, have premade fondant to work with.

I don't consider it a good week for her because she made a great cake. I'm assuming it was fairly mediocre by pastry standards. I consider it a good week for her because just by getting it done she pulled off what should be a big confidence booster, which she desperately needs right now.

[Andy]

I remember they did supply fondant to the contestants, thus simplifying the whole process of making a wedding cake.

[anon man]

SD,

Question: Why "curiously Ga-ga" over the horseradish sauce. Yeah, its not exactly new, but a good horseradish sauce (i.e., not one made with a pile a mayonaise), can be a wonderful thing.

[Skillet Doux]

"Question: Why "curiously Ga-ga" over the horseradish sauce. Yeah, its not exactly new, but a good horseradish sauce (i.e., not one made with a pile a mayonaise), can be a wonderful thing."

I don't use the word curiously because I doubt its awesomeness. It's just that there's no recipe and all we heard about it was that little snippet at their dinner table, so I wonder what about it inspired such a reaction, is all.

[Dan]

Hey - great blog, and I agree with the other posters - the comments are also very good.

While I definitely agree with your top and bottom rankings, I'm having a little trouble with the folks in the middle: Andrew, Antonia, and Stephanie. Stephanie is problematic and difficult to rank because, as many have noted, she's inconsistant and gets nervous - at her best, she's definitely one of the top contenders, but at her worst, she could easily get knocked out. Andrew has also been somewhat inconsistent - he has some great ideas, but isn't consistently creative and also isn't consistently practical. He has shown consistently good team play though, which is part of why I like him so much, despite his annoying personality.

Which leaves with Antonia. I don't like her. I haven't been at all impressed with her food, her teamwork, or her personality. On the one hand, she doesn't really seem to screw up. On the other, she hasn't really impressed me with anything she's done. And especially in this episode, I just really didn't like her personality. It's not just that I don't think she'll win, it's also that I don't want such a champion of mediocrity to even place in the top three.

I hope I'm not being too stridently anti-Antonia, it's just that your post and the other commenters hit most of the other points of conversation.

[Mo]

Speaking from the perspective of someone who worked for Blais I'm pretty sure the pulled brisket has to have been his idea. I can't tell you how many time we used braised pulled goat as staff meal or as a meal for an event. I'm just sad they haven't let him have liqued nitrogen to play with yet.

[Bill]

I was scanning Iron Chef results and noticed in the 06/07 season Richard Blais lost to Mario in Battle Chickpeas. Anyone have any recollection of that battle?
Richard seems farther along in his development than most of the chefs. He probably would have done well in that competition for the next Iron Chef that Mychal Symon won. It might have been a more appropriate competition for him.