Top Chef: If Their Cooking Isn’t Really Cutting it, What’s Keeping Them in the Competition?
Top Chef: If Their Cooking isn’t Really Cutting it, What’s Keeping Them in the Competition? by Roxanne McDonald
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What’s making for the great equalizer—beside someone having to pack knives and go? Is it snob-appeal? Unrelenting charm? Last-minute saves? |
The last two episodes of Top Chef have revealed more failure than finesse. For the [cutting edge] Thanksgiving and following week’s episode, for instance, Michael’s dish of dish of bacon-wrapped corn (with parmesean) and his twice-baked potatoes isjudged (by guest critic Tony Bourdain and the other judges) as plain, as “perverse and inappropriate”, and as reason for guest Bourdain to ask Tom Colicchio “what kind of crack house he’s running”
(which makes Tom’s face red enough to add some much-needed color to the lackluster dishes); Michael’s after-dinner cheese plate seems to confuse the diners (though despite how “weird” his menu choices are Bourdain does give him kudos for having the guts to try to be different); and while the next week’s chicken and egg tacos go over well with surfers and the guest judge, Raphael, he did forget the eggs when he was prepping the dish to begin with.Likewise, Elia mixes an odd combination for a Quick Fire Challenge–of fruit salad and beef hash with celery, red pepper, and kidney beans and mint (?) dishes—a combo which Tom Colicchio finds strange; creates a Portobello and button mushroom crème with walnuts soup for Thanksgiving (which is so not “cutting edge, but which merely tastes better than anything else, so she wins); and then, much against the wishes of the others, of course, wins the following week’s challenge with an organic waffle with ham, cheese, fried egg and parsley, which surfers and judges alike find “simple, concise, and flavorful”—though Betty and Mia were top chef contenders, too.
Marcel, with a Turkey Roulade, stuffing, and cranberry gelee w/cranberry foam Thanksgiving fare is the only one who closely followed the challenge prompt—to make something “cutting edge”—but takes second to Elia’s soup anyway; though he redeems himself even further the following week with the watermelon/tomato trio that is not only beautiful in presentation but the winning dish, according to guest judge Raphael.
And Sam, with a grey, muddy mess he had originally tried to create as “Green Eggs and Ham”; Cliff, with first a radish salad with French-cut green beans and fennel is okay but then with a chicken apple sausage, sweet potato hash, and scrambled eggs dish is up for demotion when the presentation is sloppy and when the dish has sand in it (!); and Frank, with a rubbery and confusing combination of zucchini and salmon scramble and cannoli cream w/ strawberries and waffle pieces jars the judges—who not only dislike his final piece of overcooked eggs but why he has paired cannoli cream and eggs….see all three on the block and Frank booted.
Then what is working besides the barely-getting-by as a servable/edible dish?
Is it excuses and throat-cutting?
Michael’s ideas (for things like turducken) get shot down; and Elia denounces food so bad from Sam that she had to [in her whatever that is accent] “speed eet out.”
Is it pitting opponents against each other, or flipping out?
Marcel throws a bunch of clutter off the workspace in the dorm (or apartment or whatever), and Sam keeps nudging Frank with this information until Frank flips out, threatening in that scratchy Mafioso voice how “If you ever touch my stuff [again], I will beat you so bad your mother won’t recognize you;” and Elia has some “let them eat vinegar soup” moments, along with an episode where she wastes foodstuffs and time by smearing chocolate all over herself and others.
Is it [more] snobbery?
Marcel is the best; Frank is the best; Betty has the most important stuff to say; etc., etc. Marcel has made up his own business cards to read, “The New Top Chef;” Ilan and Michael laugh at Marcel; Marcel smirks at Frank. Carlos writes off (or did write off) any incompetence or
shortcomings by going into the we should be thankful for this speech; and Elia, in response, opens her mouth to reveal a pile of chewed-up food.
Then, is it that pseudo-bonding they all do but criticize others for doing?
Suddenly, Mia and Elia are going to have a pact that any food competitions at the beach will lead to their going swimming together—whatever that’s supposed to represent; Marcel helps Betty, who cries that Marcel doesn’t help; and Frank, just having his throat slit by everyone, invites them all back to his home for good food and company.
Is there anyone I missed? I’m re-loading, now.
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