Top Chef – Culinary Olympics

Well now that was interesting…

Thoughts about last night’s “Top Chef: Las Vegas” after the jump… What a great episode!

I really have to hand it to the producers this season as they are getting some true food royalty!!  More evidence that this show is perceived well by the industry they “cover”.  Thomas Freakin’ Keller people!!!  That is a get.  The dinner table for the Elimination Challenge was just as impressive as the French challenge earlier in the season with Joel Robuchon, if not more nerve racking given the shear technical skill required to pull off a Bocuse d’Or.

• Interesting Quickfire, protein within protein within protein.  Jen joked about making Turducken and I got excited…then she went with seafood.  Guess it was a good choice as she breaks out of her funk and takes a win.  Padma’s “Welcome Back” comment was really interesting and revealing…you hardly EVER get any type of feedback/comment like that when they are tasting the Quickfire.  So kudos Jen, it must have been something…
• So you get to work with three proteins and only two of the cheftestants use bacon?  Bummer!  Big ups to Eli though, his take on a Scotch Egg with a bacon crust was really inspired (and I hate eggs).
• I don’t know if it’s my biases starting to show, but I really thought Mike V. was an absolute dick all throughout the episode.
• At the same time, we finally got to see a glimpse of a real person in Bryan this episode.  His helping Kevin with sous-vide was classy.  Seeing him completely in the weeds during Elimination was tense.
• Both brothers had a take on Kevin in this ep.  I am paraphrasing here: Mike – “Kevin makes what I make for myself during my day off.” Bryan – “Kevin makes simple food, but simple done well”.  Another point for Bryan. Plus, he essentially called his own brother a dick which to me was classic.
• Kevin – WTF?  Sous-vide???  You didn’t even know how to do it, it’s not your style at all but here you are…even Tom gave him a raised eyebrow when he heard what Kevin was doing.  Oh boy…
• EVERYBODY got nailed during judging: Kevin’s food called elementary, Mike V. completely botching/ignoring any sort of flavor profile, Bryan uncooked his lamb, Eli completely butchered his lamb, Jen’s uneven salmon fillets produced uneven results, etc.  These guys were killin’ them!
• Winner got $30,000 AND an invitation to try out for the U.S. Bocuse d’Or team…wow.  This prize almost as good as winning the whole competition.
• When it was all said and done – KEVIN WINS?!?  WTF?!?  I was shocked, especially how the took him to task for his meal being elementary.  Tom even said during Judge’s Table that his offering would have been disqualified immediately if he presented it at competition.  I guess when the rubber hits the road, it’s about who at least cooked their protein correctly and he did knock that out (even while using a process that was completely unfamiliar to him).  Mike had to have been pissed!!!
• Alas Eli.  I called his outster right after his presentation to the judges.  You hung in there well kid, but given the level of competition around you, it was your time.
• So here we are, with the four best chefs all season moving on.  These final two episodes should be terrific!

As always, Mr. Colicchio’s take on the show.  It’s a good read and insightful as always!  Here’s just one line, but I think it sums things up:

The overriding challenge is to make delicious food, and Kevin’s was more precisely cooked and had better flavor than the others, period.

There you go!

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