Top Chef - S6E12 Postmortem

The four horsemen ride!

I will give the Magical Elves editors this much... though the ensuing discussion narrowed the field a bit, they definitely sent us to JT with the impression that anybody could go home. I wonder how close this actually was. Looking forward to the blogs (when the Bravo site is back up, that is).

Jen definitely got exactly what she needed to break out of her slump. Kevin did his thing and knocked it out of the park (I know, I know, me of little faith). Unusual to see Bryan stumble on an EC like that. The fact that the judges found Mike's flat elements out of character for him says a lot, I think. And Eli...

Most importantly, perhaps, how awesome to see Thomas Keller? With the finale in Napa, here's hoping we get to see some more of him.

I'm still annoyed by episodes 9-11 Jen, but I'm feeling a little better with her getting her groove back a bit. It'll be interesting to see who shows up at the finals. Could it come down to whether or not she can stay in her comfort zone?

In any case, I feel pretty comfortable saying that this looks like the strongest set of contestants for the finals we've seen, and no matter who gets the axe next episode, the remaining three will make one helluva finale.

Thanks for the birthday wishes, folks... and thanks to Kevin for not screwing it up :-)

Discuss!

Comments

[Bart]

What a great birthday present for you, Dom! (and heck, for Kevin, whenever his is)

I'm just anticipating a deluge of "STUPID EDITORS!!!!" comments to follow on the Top Chef blogs. Hey, their job is to create drama and suspense, and they excelled tonight. I really had a brief moment of panic, thinking Kevin might go home - due to some criticism his dish received followed by a post-show interview where he looked really, really sad.

Also, Brian's stock went up about a million-fold after he told Kevin how to cook the sous vide. Bryan is just one gigantic class act.

My rankings:

1. Kevin
2. Bryan
3. Mike
4. Jennifer

[Bart]

Ugh, I typed Brian instead of Bryan in my instance. Dom, if you like, feel free to edit my comment and then delete this one. Otherwise, I hang my head in grammar-shame.

[bfish]

Yay for Kevin and Jen and happy birthday, Dom! (In honor of Kevin I made carnitas tonight.) While the Bocuse d'Or competition requires a style that is antithetical to Kevin's approach, I believe he can -- with his smarts and obvious cooking talent -- adapt to the requirements and put forth a credible performance in the try-outs (given some practice time of course). He is a rising star. Remember, he's significantly younger then the others going on to Napa so where will he be when he has equal to their years of experience? This was a really great ending to the regular part of the season. Yes, it is SO refreshing to have four great chefs competing, i.e. no dubious contenders.

[babyarm]

Seriously, stealing a food network challenge bit for their finals episode 1? Really?

A tight quarters (quickfire?) followed by a cocktail reception catering challenge. Horrible.

I assume this was designed after Lee Ann left the show. If this is what is in store for S7 then I'm not sure how long this show will last.

[Yvanka]

A very happy birthday to you, Dom- and I, personally, am thrilled by your gift. Now we can roll on happily.

I, for one, am really looking forward to the final episodes of this season-- mostly because I think these are the cheftestants with the greatest ability to cook excellent food in a competitive environment while maintaining their professional attitudes. We might have a scandal-free finale! (Everybody knock on wood.)

[mncharm]

--Is this the first time in Top Chef history someone goes with a technique they are not familiar with and actually wins?!

--It was the bottom of the ninth, two outs, fourth and inches, and Jen was facing a full court press -- and she stepped up. Good on her for taking a deep breath, pulling it together, and putting forth a good effort.

--Mike can be an a-hole, but it's great from a spectator point of view to get his unvarnished opinion.

--Bryan: class act. I think I'm going to pull for him in the finals. Sounds like he damn near pulled off the win tonight as well (except for a stray comment by Tom that made me nervous towards the end).

--Classy exit for Eli.

Great episode overall. Once again, execution takes the day over more ambitious dishes.

[MikeyV]

The Bravo site is back up.

[anon man]

I wonder how "unfamiliar" Kevin was with sous vide really. He has used some other more modern techniques in the past (like last week's compressed veggies), so I wonder how much of that "Kevin isn't sure what he's doing" thing was contrived and how much was just Kevin asking Bryan (who clearly does more sous vide) for different options the way chef's talk about food.

As much as I like the result and as much as I love TFL (11 times and counting), I must admit that competitions like Bocuse D'Or kind of bore me. Overly complicated and precious food bites while people cheer. Lame, sorry.

The one magic Elves thing I want to give them real credit for is the deception on the preview. When Jen said she was making a turducken, she was speaking metaphorically, and thus her dish had no tur or duc or en. Nice move elves, especially since we were all expecting a Thanksgiving theme.

[babyarm]

Also to Kevin's win: It does appear that he got the Arianne Memorial Execution Award for this win. Everyone else just mistimed their protein or made one execution error and he gets 30 grand as a result.

Either that or they were trying extra hard to build suspense for the noose they set out in the previews. The Elves to my knowledge have never pulled a mis-direction like that passing off one chef's dish as another.

And am I crazy or were they asked to make some sort of elaborate garnish? Nobody did anything like that, right? Hung would have clowned that aspect of things. It just seemed they took garnish to = vegetable side dish.

[MiniMonkey]

Everything about this episode gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling:

1. Padma saying, "Welcome back, Jen," during the quickfire.
2. Bryan helping out Kevin with sous vide.
3. Jen helping out Bryan when he was running short on time.
4. No one really tanking.
5. And finally, Eli's bitter sweet yet gracious exit.

And DUDE! Can you believe ALL FOUR of the top 4 actually made it to the finals?! How awesome is that?! At this point, anyone could win and I wouldn't feel at all bitter.

[jkelley]

Dom's another year older,
Jen is back.
Kevin remains true to his vision and wins.
All is right with the world!

[Esther]

Happy birthday!

And what an awesome present. Honestly? I didn't think Kevin had any chance of going home. The first half of the show was giving him SUCH a negative edit that it would've been too obvious, and when the only negative thing judges can say about your dish is "too simple," it's never going to lose to dishes that have serious technical flaws. I'm ridiculously happy for Kevin.

Bryan and Michael are differentiating themselves more and more. Bryan comments that Kevin's food is "simple, but that can be good," and helps him selflessly with the sous vide. Michael not only dismisses Kevin's food but actually claims that his Quickfire was better than a Bocuse d'Or entree, which is pure bull.

I'm happy that Jen got her groove back. You could see the difference in the interviews; I wonder how much of it was winning the quickfire, and how much was just slow recovery from physically being sick the previous week. What worried me was the kind of errors she had tonight. As a whole, she seemed to have the second-best dish -- the only flaw was the uneven salmon -- but it concerns me that a seafood specialist can't make even pieces of salmon.

Finally, as I commented over and over while watching the show, tonight's crew were simply a delight to watch. Five extremely talented chefs, no major personality battles, and a challenge worthy of their skills. I would pay money to watch a regular TV show in which the five of them tackle cooking challenges every week.

(For whatever reason, tonight my instincts were dead on. I saw Kevin's lamb and said "wow, that looks perfect." Bryan's lamb: "hm, that's awfully rare." Eli's: "dear God, he's butchering the carving . . . in the worst sense of the word." The minute I saw how he was cutting that lamb apart in an obviously uneven way, I knew he was going home. Really, I didn't have any problems with the editing elves this week.)

[Lon]

This show confirms my belief that taste will beat out technique if there is a conflict between the two.

It does Kevin proud that he was able to use a technique he had never used before to prepare a basic dish, simple in presentation, but obviously well enough prepared and taste-filled to win.

And yes, kudos to Bryan for his assistance to Kevin. I'm not sure other chefs, even in other series, would have done that. In a way, I'm sorry he lost because I think he could do an excellent job in the Becouse d'Or. It would fit his personality and style.

Eli's lack of experience showed in tonight's show. Give him a few years to bring his experience into line with his ideas and he might be an excellent chef as well.

In the preview, Jen looks healthier and more confident. So here's hoping she does better.

Finally, I know the chefs were critical of the contestants. However, we're talking the best cooks and palates in the nation. They should find things wrong with dishes prepared under a timeline without advance preparation.

I consider Tom's final comments the most telling as to the contestants actual achievements. That's the strongest endorsement he's levied in six seasons.

[Independent George]

I'll be rooting for Kevin in the finals (mostly because he's awesome, but now, also partly to annoy Michael), but Bryan went up about six levels in my estimation. No, I have no idea what scale I'm using, but I have a tremendous amount of respect for him for playing honorably and showing respect to his competitors.

Actually, as others have mentioned, how great was it to see all the kids playing nicely together tonight, even if they all struggled on some level with their food? Tonight, we got to see:

1. Jennifer volunteer to help a harried Bryan with his plating.
2. Bryan helps out Kevin with the sous vide.
3. Kevin positively gushes over Thomas Keller.
4. Cocky young Eli offers a genuine, heartfelt tribute to Richard Blais.
5. Cocky young Eli offers genuine, heartfelt praise of his fellow competitors headed to the finals.
6. The four horsemen reciprocate in kind to support Eli, and seem to genuinely wish he were still with them.
7. Tom acknowledging how close-knit this final group seemed to be.

[Independent George]

Bravo website is back online. Classy as ever, Richard Blais writes a very moving tribute to his young protege:

And when I got my first executive lesson in corporate downsizing, it was Eli, the youngest and most capable of absorbing the loss of his job (he was in high school) who I had to let go. I told him the decision was strictly business and about labor cost. That it had nothing to do with him, or certainly his passion or skill.

His response?

I’ll see you tomorrow, Chef. Unpaid. Tomorrow, turned into years. Paid of course.

[jkelley]

Yes, please someone explain the concept of garnishes in this context. It looked to me as though the non-protein components were not what I would traditionally consider a garnish, rather a side. Do I need to adjust my definition?

[Anne]

I'm sure someone who knows something can say more, but in the vegetarian challenge I got the impression that garnish can equal vegetable side dish to accompany meat.

[Independent George]

There's one thing I was hoping Dom or someone else more knowledgeable than myself can clarify - from what I've read, Paul Bocuse himself is generally more highly regarded for his media savvy than for his actual cooking. In fact, I've read some distinctly unflattering things about his actual cooking. Is this a fair assessment, or is this more a case of professional envy?

[jkelley]

Thanks to Independent George for the heads up on Blais' blog. I'm not sure what impresses me more; Eli's passion or Blais' ability to write. We have some damn good writers posting on this blog (with Dom at the head of the list) but Blais is my favorite writer related to Top Chef.

[Skillet Doux]

Re: Garnishes, that's correct, in a classical context you're talking about a fully-developed accompaniment, not the spring of parsley or token ingredient that it means in a contemporary context.

[Dionysus]

That was just... an incredible challenge. And as someone new to being a foodie, it introduced me to Bocuse d'Or (which Im SURE, reading Tom's blog, was a large reason for having such a challenge). Given the strength of this season, it seemed appropriate to roll it out. Would I have liked everyone to perform a little better? Of course, but I am ecstatic that the Top Four live for the Finals. I've watched every season of Top Chef (started when season 3 aired and watched 1 and 2 online to catch up), and never have looked forward to the Finals this much.

The closest was Season 4, but still not on this level.

By the way, I was wondering if anyone could suggest some really nice restaurants in Philadelphia? I'm new to the area and my girlfriends birthday is in January. We both love nice food and I wanted to take her somewhere nice. I have Le Bec Fin and Mushulu on my shortlist right know, but I could use suggestions.

[Danny]

It was the right decision, but like last week, it is hard to believe that past performance wasn't taken into account.

Where were these chef's during the vegetarian challenge? All the garnishes they made were more substantial and better than the main courses they made previously (and yes I know that some protein was in some of the garnishes).

[KinderJ]

Happy Birthday Dom!

Blais' Blog this week was very moving, and I wish I had known about it at the start of the season. It really moves Eli from 'cocky kid with talent' to 'seriously hard working and dedicated.' He, and his mentor, should both feel very proud. It was a hell of an achievement, and he left as a class act. It also throws his scrapping with Robin in a slightly different light too, I think. Still thinking that out, sort of a 'Does she take this as seriously as the rest of us/home is not a place to be serious' vibe. Just me speculating.

For those looking for more on Bocuse, Chef Tom's blog is up on Bravo, and it's a long post this time. Gives a good history and background, explains the reasoning and analysis well. Strongly recommend you take a look. Sadly no discussion on what qualifies as a garnish. I personally always thought of a garnish as a flavorful decoration or compliment to the dish, not as something divorced from it. That being said, tournaments tend to generate tournament specific language and specialized meaning. For example, at the World University Debating Championships, a 'squirrel' has nothing to do with a four legged mammal. 'Garnish' may be context specific, in this instance, and tightly defined.

Very cool to see Keller. Interesting how his body language contrasted with his eyes. Very calm, comfortable and relaxed body language, but I got the impression that nothing escaped his eyes. Not on the plate, not in the chef. The eyes of someone who has refined his craft, not just chef but a man who runs restaurants and kitchens, to the very finest point. I can really understand why the contestants seem to view him with almost religious awe.

But the neatest thing about seeing Keller? As someone who sat down and read the French Laundry cookbook from cover to cover? It was finding out afterwords on Chef Tom's blog that he refused to sit at judges table and negatively critique the contestants. That his kitchens are so collaborative and supportive of individual members and ideas. That this steely eyed man, a living legend of American cuisine, cared enough about five strangers to spare them the impact of his criticism. He clearly made his views heard at the dinner table, but its quite a different thing than having the man sit in judgment over you.

Superb episode. Superb people.

[Lon]

Tom mentioned in his blog how Thomas Keller did not want to appear at the judge's table and why, also explaining how Keller had a kitchen where everyone worked together as equals.

I sort of got the same impressions of our five finalists. They could work at that level.

[òste e còc]

IG, where have you read that Bocuse’s promotion of nouvelle French cuisine during his 1960-80 tenure as modern France's culinary ambassador trumps his culinary legacy? Perhaps you are confusing Bobby Flay?

As for the episode, it is ballotine, not ballantine. The former is a scotch whiskey or ale depending on the punctuation. It was quite clear that the quickfire thing was to make a version of Mr. Kaysen’s dish, a ballotine. Michael should have listened more simply.

Was lamb on sale at Whole Foods that week? This was a challenge that demanded the whimsical classicism of French cookery and particularly “technique”: not a method but rather a honed manual discipline, ie: manipulating the proteins with their hands and controlling the elements, much in the spirit of the competition’s namesake, instead of letting an aquarium heater do the job. Perhaps they are content to entrust a machine instead of their intuitive skills to cook meat. (sous-vide has its merits, but not in this case)

There are plenty of progressive challenges but few that court retrospective cookery. Those platters should have been gilded with aspic, chaud-froid, tediously disciplined knife cuts, inlays, geometric patters and…showmanship! All I saw was 12hrs worth of higher end banquet cookery for 10 guests with little delineation of the protein or continuity of the garnishes (I’ve seen all of one of the chef’s platters before, not sure if the others were falling back on their proven repertoires). Poultry would have had a narrower margins of cooking temperature error and provided more garnishes by virtue of the giblets, leg/breast meat, skin and carcass properties.

[KinderJ]

Just had a funny-

Can you imagine if Jennifer made a Salmon Tartare ice cream cone as a garnish?

[Will Allen]

Like Esther, I saw Kevin's lamb, and said "that's pefectly cooked". When Keller's harshest criticism of Kevin's dish was that it was a bit simple for the time allowed, and given the skills of the chef, I knew that, at a minimum, Kevin wasn't going home. When the others' dishes were criticized for technical flaws, I was pretty sure that Kevin was going to win. The nature of the criticism that Eli's dish garnered made me think he was gone. Who knows? Maybe I made some lucky guesses.

I was quite happy with Kevin's win, because, of course, first of all, Kevin seems wonderful, but also because his victory strikes a blow for flavor, above all other culinary values. I can't tell you how often I've dined at restaurants with big reputations, in big culinary towns, and as I have signed the too-large check, I've thought to myself that the flavor and taste simply was not outstanding. I want to eat Kevin's food because I am convinced, damnit, that it will very, very, very, likely taste great.

I am so impressed with Eli, Bryan, and Jen. Eli, like a lot of young and talented people, was very cocky at the start of the season. Unlike a lot of young and talented people, however, when he was confronted with people of equal and better talent, he reacted by pushing himself, hard, to get better, and he did. Well done.

Bryan is a talented and honorable man, who has figured out that one is in turn honored by the quality of one's competitors.

Jen fought back from illness and setbacks, while being exceedingly decent to those around her. It ain't easy being a generous human being when one feels like hell.

Finally, perhaps I am ungenerous, but I find Michael to be extremely tiresome, even allowing for the editing process. Has he ever displayed even a glimmer of humor? Would the editors ruthlessly exise ANY evidence of that quality? Yes, he is talented as hell, but extremely talented people who are possessed by pettiness and envy are really quite boring.

[Will Allen]

I will agree that poultry, recent buffalo wings notwithstanding, is too often neglected in this show. Has it's reputation been so downgraded that chefs are afraid to go there, or are they truly unaware of what wonderful things can be done?

[KinderJ]

Will Allen- I agree that pettiness and envy are tiresome, but I cannot say that a person possessed of those qualities is necessarily boring. Picking a rather extreme example, Issac Newton could be the poster child for at least pettiness. His campaigns against those who challenged or disagreed with him were quite ferocious and vindictive. Not boring, exceedingly nasty perhaps, but not boring.

As for envy... Iago? Perhaps the Bard's most complete villain. No, bringing it back to top chef, even if you feel that Mike V. is petty and envious (which I don't) his food is exciting, and thus so is he. Not because you would want to hang out with him, but because you want to see what he does. If you had to have a blind tasting prepared by, say, Priti or Mike V., whose food do you think will be more interesting? As a chef, which of them do you find more interesting?

I personally take the view that profound self confidence, while off putting, is not a bad thing in a craftsman or an artist. Provided that they are constantly willing to learn, it is a valuable trait. I cannot really fault Mike V for that.

[garik16]

Was i the only one who thought of Jay Raynor when Eli made a scotch egg?

Couldn't believe that it was liked.

[KinderJ]

Mmmm... perhaps it's because the Bocuse does not use much poultry? Anyone have a link to previous ingredients? It would be interesting to see what they could do with pheasant or pigeon. Now that you mention it, salmon and lamb do seem a bit pedestrian. Could you imagine having to work with rabbit? All those tiny bones, and that presentation method? Eeeek. Double plus Eeeek.

[KinderJ]

Wikipedia you have failed me!

[Will Allen]

Kinder J, I often find people who are possessed of those qualities (and to be sure, everyone has displayed them at some time) to be boring because, in the end, their behavior toward others tends to be utterly predictable. I've reached the point that I could write Michael's interview remarks before I hear them. In the end, this is not just a cooking competition, but a television show about human beings. If your opinion of him is different, I of course respect your opinion.

I haven't spent much time around great chefs, other than to sit in their dining rooms occasionally, while they pursued their passion in the kitchen. I have, however, due to the random nature of the world, been, with some frequency, in the company of world-class athletes. The more interesting ones, and admittedly, this is merely my personal preference, have been those who were mostly lacking in those qualities.

This is not to say that lacking pettiness or envy meant that they were not capable of being quite nasty. Far from it. To illustrate, as a child, I had the occasion to spend a day in the presence of the great Ted Williams. To put it bluntly, he was a nasty sonovabitch, at least at times, even to, or perhaps especially because of, my young eyes. He didn't hold back for being around a young person, at least not on that day, and I heard verbs, adjectives, and nouns of a unique nature, employed in a unique way.

What he also was, however, was exceedingly generous in his opinions of other people who were dedicated, and generous with his time with those who were less talented, but who shared his passion and willingness to work. An immensely talented, difficult, complex, stubborn, generous, harshly judgemental, and impossible to encapsulate man. Never boring.

[jh]

I found Bryan's remarks about Kevin's cooking quite interesting. Both he and his brother have remarked about Kevin's "simple" cooking, but I think due to Bryan's maturity, he was able to make his soundbite very PC. It reminded me of Kevin's response to the Robin situation in the house. Perhaps Mike's take on the situation is the "translated a-hole" version, while Bryan and Kevin are the PC versions.

For a while, I almost thought Bryan was going to win because of the "coachable" comment at the dinner table, but am very happy with Kevin's win.

I almost feel that this episode should have been the finale with the people present and the prizes. I hope that finale doesn't disappoint. I love Thomas Keller's cookbook. I also enjoyed his collaboration with Ratatouille. It was ridiculous how well Pixar was able to recreate the dish (they have a whole special features section with Keller).

Happy B-day!! Is there a newborn addition to the foodie community??

[Shelly]

That one had me on the edge of my seat! I had no idea who was going home, except that I was pretty sure it wasn't Kevin. I was convinced it was one of the brothers, and I really didn't want to see Bryan go after he'd helped Kevin out. I thought it would be Mike because of the bone.

So they're trying to drum up publicity for the American Bocuse d'Or challenge? Is it televised? Because if it is, I'd love watching it to see what Kevin will do.

[paula]

Great episode all around. So much class (Michael V. notwithstanding) and talent. "Welcome back, Jen" indeed--she was watchable again, and not in the train wreck sense! I can't wait for the finale.

[gilmore]

How about Kevin winking at Jen after Padma said "welcome back" during the quickfire.

Eli grew in stature this episode. Classy exit and it was obvious that the remaining four have great respect for him.

I thought Eli was a goner because his protein was the least edible. Not sure how much of each piece of lamb was consumed. It sure looked interesting (cutting skills aside).

Last season, Blais stated that in Keller's kitchen, everyone is referred to as "chef".

With such a great foursome left, I only look forward to the competition, and whoever packs their knives, packs their knives (although I hope Kevin wins).

What great prizes Kevin racked up this episode!!!!!

I would think that Michael V. would help if and when needed, but the editing process may do him in.

[SorchaRei]

Dom got what he wanted for his birthday! Yay!

So the connections between Top Chef and Bocuse d'Or continue to grow. Hung was a finalist for this year's team and won a prize for his seafood entry, even though he wasn't the chef chosen to compete. So no, I don't agree that Hung would have "clowned" the garnish.

Bocuse d'Or requires such a specific style of cooking and presentation that I am not surprised that the time allotted was not enough to produce more typical platters. I'll be very interested to see what Kevin can do with a proper amount of planning time.

Whenever Michael sneers at Kevin's cooking, I recall the pairing challenge and his comment about how he'd been to the vineyard and they had hazelnut trees, so he worked hazelnuts into his dish. He's such a thoughtful chef, it's hard for me to imagine that given time to think about his approach to the Bocuse d'Or USA contest, he won't do something to be proud of.

I have been wondering if Hung will compete in Bocuse d'Or USA again next spring. That would be an interesting comparison, in a very well-defined setting. Anyway, I'll make a point of checking out the announcement of the teams on Dec. 7.

And once again, happy birthday, Dom! Thanks for another year of this blog, and for creating this awesome space for us to hang out and discuss both this show and food in general.

[Naomi]

Is there a newborn addition to the foodie community??

Not produced by me ;-)

Although I'm anxious to meet this baby (and in a geeky way thought it would be fun if it shared Dom's birthday), I'm glad I got to relax, watch a great episode and get some good sleep!

I don't have anything new to add to the discussion. I agree with much of what's been said and am absolutely thrilled that the top four will be in the finals.

[Dawn]

Happy Birthday Dom, glad your wish came true. And Naomi, good luck. Funny, my sister just gave birth a few days ago to a very tiny and adorable baby girl. So I'm definitely in baby-mode right now :)

As for the episode, while I adore Kevin & have an outmost respect for his cooking, I do feel like Bryan was robbed in the end. His dish I thought was more representative of the kind of food that they look for at Bocuse d'Or. But at the end of the day, I suppose it was more important to produce a great dish than actually fulfilling the requirements of the challenge (much like last week's casino inspiration dishes).

And Jen, 'Welcome (half) back' indeed. I hate being a flip-flopper, and eventhough I have my moments of doubt, I'm definitely team Jen all the way (and has been since the beginning, though I was in denial when she suddenly sucked). She might be the dark horse going into the finale, and while I think Kevin is more likely to win, I'm still pulling for her. I'm somewhat ashamed that my preference is skewed by the person I like/admire the most rather than their performance on the show, but what the hell. It is a reality show after all :)

[dc]

I can't see any of these final chefs actually competing in actual Bocuse d'Or, because it would require them to take months off for training (like olympic athletes do at olympic training center.) Only Eli I could have seen jumping at an invitation. Also, they have already garnered far more American media exposure and legitimacy from their TC than they could from BO outside of actually winning the BO.

I was PO'd and confused by the editing. The criticism at JT seemed to have little connection with what we heard at tasting, which seemed to have little to do at the ppykag. It was like one editing fakeout after another. And I wanted to hear more about the side dishes/garnishes, as all bottom 4 had flawed proteins, I wondered if Eli had good enough garnishes to make it close/controversial to eliminate him. Michael got the worst of the criticism for his garnishes -- but his protein was cooked correct (perfectly in this context), minus a bone.

How much did Jennifer's salmon miss by? I hoped she would still win going into JT, given the mixed criticism of her salmon at the dining table. I wondered if these judges palate are so discerning as to pick at cooking issues mortals would never notice, or their personal taste of how well done an ideal salmon must be.

Perhaps Michael was hurt by his previous competitive cooking experience. He cooked competition 10 years ago, which made him confident and comfortable going in. But in 10 years trends, styles, techniques change. If you pull out your 10 year old wardrobe, dance moves, car, phone, politics today you will seem very dated and out of place. Is that what happened to Michael?

@òste e còc : They had to pick between lamb and salmon as main protein.

[Independent George]

If you pull out your 10 year old wardrobe, dance moves, car, phone, politics today you will seem very dated and out of place

Yes, but if you waited and pulled out your twenty year-old wardrobe, dance moves, and car, you'd be lauded for your retro chic. Maybe culinary trends just cycle faster?

[Jon Olsen]

Mark your calendars—I agree with øste e çöc. I am, as the kids say, down with o.e.c. I wanted to see some crazy ass knifework and shiny crap smeared on everything. Give us aspic! Give us flash! Make a cathedral of the meat (that's a meatthedral for those of you scoring at home) and an outer medieval courtyard of glossy vegetable towers! A bouquet of parsnip and blood orange orchids. Recreate the nativity out of seven kinds of potatoes. A Roman stadium woven of cucumbers and purple carrots. Something. Please!

I noticed that when Bryan was being all sportsmanlike and classy, he'd said cook the lamb at 52. I'm pretty sure Kevin's circulator was set at 54. Hm. Conspiracy. Clearly they loved his work on the chard. Man I love chard.

How do you keep the food hot on those mirrored platters? Cold lumps of salmon and "garnishes" of heaped veggies in ramekins. Mmm. Nummers.

[Independent George]

How do you keep the food hot on those mirrored platters? Cold lumps of salmon and "garnishes" of heaped veggies in ramekins. Mmm. Nummers.

Actually, I think it would be easier to keep food hot on those platters. Glass is a pretty lousy conductor of heat - certainly as compared to aluminum or silver.

[TxGriff]

John Olsen- your comments bring to mind something that Natalie Portman said on the show. Something along the lines of who is your dealer and how can I buy some of whatever you are taking.

I think Tom did a good job of explaining how they judged this challenge. It was in the style of the Bocuse d'Or, but they understood the time restraints and that the food produced couldn't be judged at competition level, so they evaluated the overall execution of the meal and who they thought could be trained to compete for the American team. At least, that's how the TC judges looked at it.

Great show, no complaints. This is the first finals ever where I would honestly be happy with any outcome because they are all so deserving, even if Kevin has become my favorite constestant. On to the finals!

[Dave_P]

Great episode, one of the best of the season. I'm very happy to see the top four getting into the finals, though I felt bad for Eli at the end. Classy exit, indeed.

Earlier in the season, Lee Ann mentioned that there would be some eye popping guests and challenges still to come, and this was right after Robuchon guested, so I figured T. Keller would be making an appearance, but when TC went to Napa, not in Vegas.

Lots of good blogs on Bravo too, esp Tom's and Richard's (thanks to IG for that--the Bravo page didn't make it clear he had a new blog). Tom makes it clear why Kevin won, and why Eli was let go.

For the first time, I'm going to compliment the editing by the elves--I had no idea who was going to win and who was going to lose. Normally, a terribly executed protein is a death sentence, and Eli's lamb was the worst offender by far, but I just couldn't tell this time. Also, I was so focused on who was going to be eliminated that I almost forgot someone also had to win! Gratz to Kevin and his prizes. He's smart enough to figure out what aspects of his game to work on for the Bocuse, which, as Tom implies, is more than just about the food. I wish him luck.

One nitpik: why didn't they bring Hung back for this episode? I guess he doesn't quite rate that table (yet?) since he didn't actually compete in the Bocuse, but he is a TC alumnus who made it to the finals of the '09 US qualifier (to see who'd compete), and iirc won the best fish dish.

Can't wait for the finals.

--
Dave

[dc]

In my conspiratorial mind Jennifer and Bryan had strikes against them because of their age. They may been considered too old for Bocuse. I think the American Bocuse selection and winners are generally in their late 20s. Kevin is the ideal age, as well as his exceptional demeanor and talent and learning ability to represent the USA proud. Paul Bocuse and the American Bocuse folks might seriously hope Kevin will take up their offer of a US finalist spot, regardless of his rustic cooking style.

I certainly would love to see Kevin represent stars-and-stripes in international culinary warfare. Especially it means Bravo gets to make a "Top Chef Kevin" series out of it. More Kevin! :)

[Steve]

After reading Colicchio's blog, I understand and support the decision to choose Kevin as last night's winner. He was the only one to cook a dish free of real bad mistakes and one that was also well received for flavor. The clincher was that from his past preparations and performance, it was believed that Kevin could learn to cook the Bocuse D'or way.

I felt for Bryan who came close to nailing his dish. Was happy that Jen redeemed herself for a deserved spot in the semi-final. Was disappointed in Michael who usually is spot on in terms of flavor and the one who I would really like to see open his own restaurant (as Kevin and Bryan already have their own). Glad that Eli was the one to go home - he stayed out of the bottom until the end and even won a couple of competitions, but the four that are going to the semis essentially swept this season and deserve the shot to win.

I'm thinking that Jen may be the weakest going in. But as always, we'll see. Kevin is generally still on top of his game. But the Voltaggios have lost some of their discipline and focus. Let's see how the interval before Napa invigorates our contestants. Even if Jen is at her best, she has won fewer challenges and doesn't bring as much creativity as the others.

But I agree, they are going to bring it!

[Bill G]

@Dionysus

I wouldn't go with the Moshulu for anything but their wine list. The menu is dated and mediocre. Le Bec Fin is still worth a go.

A list of places to try:
Amada (Tapas)
Xochitl (Mexican, traditional not steak and beans)
Modo Mio (Italian)
Vetri (Italian...best restaurant in the city. Do the degustiazone if you have the dough)
James (N. Italian I guess, mostly just fine dining)
Zahav (Mid Eastern)
And there's always Jen Norris' 10 Arts (Eric Ripert's too...)

@Top Chef

So excited for the final four...this is what we wanted the whole time and we got it. Kevin seems to understand the judging of the show better than any of the others; it's never been about completing the challenge exactly, it's the quality of the food (source: Blais, Richard).

I'm interested in Michael's semi-villain edit. He'd be more hateable if Kevin didn't just keep chugging along so easily. Bryan, on the other hand, becomes more likable every week.

Great to see Jen fighting hard too. This will be a great final two episodes.

[Independent George]

More crazy NFL analogies - the Postgame Press Conference Edition

Michael V: "Kevin was who I thought he was. He was who I thought he was! And I let him off the hook! If you want to crown his ass, then crown it! He was who I thought he was!"

Jennifer: "Finals? Finals?!! You're talking about - finals?! I'm just trying to survive a challenge here!"

I tried to come up with a Bryan as a closed-mouth Belichcick quote, but, true to form, couldn't think of anything memorable.