Express' Karmah Elmusa explores why New American Cuisine looks old.
THE MOMENT HAS passed. That shining moment after the first episode of "Top Chef" where the talent seems infallible — you simply can't BELIEVE how good this crop o' cooks is. And then the second elimination challenge rolls around and you're knocked wide awake, realizing the skills 'round here might not be as consistent as you thought.
It's a shame, too, that this realization had to occur in "Top Chef" Mecca, aka, Tom Colicchio's flagship New York restaurant, Craft. It's also a shame that Padma finds it appropriate to spit out food she isn't wild about. Where are you manners, Ms. Lakshmi? Read on for more on how the 15 remaining chefs choked in the House of the Head Judge.
Express' Karmah Elmusa introduces you to the new crop on season five of "Top Chef."
GOOD GRAVY, I have missed this — my withdrawal symptoms have been dismal, as I developed a severe addiction during the first four seasons. This show is potent; a concoction of food and drama that I would take via IV if Bravo offered it that way.
Padma's blunders, Tom's sass, egos spiked with foie gras and this round, rainbows. It's back, with a heavy contestant load and a vengeance — it's "Top Chef" season five, and it's all going down in the Big Apple.
To begin with, here's a cheftestant glossary, which you can refer back to when reading about the challenges. I'm keeping it brief. They're rollin' deep this year, and you'll remember half these people about as well as you remember season four's Nimma (exactly):
» Alex: Latino from Los Angeles. Works at Restaurant 15. Lived all over the world. Engaged.
» Ariane: Self-proclaimed Jersey girl. Executive chef at the CulinAriane in Montclaire, N.J. Married with children.
» Carla: Born in Nashville. Owns Alchemy Caterers in D.C. (whutwhut!). Married with stepson.
» Danny: From New York, heavy on the accent. Fancy beard. Dating a "fisherman" who is, in fact, a lady.
» Fabio: From Florence, Italy. Owns a restaurant in California. Married.
» Gene: From Oauhu, Hawaii. The token "no culinary school and proud" dude. Married with children.
» Hosea: Big white man. From New Mexico, lives in Boulder, Colo. That is all we know.
» Jamie: From New York City. Gay and proud. Loves Madonna ... a lot.
» Jeff: Resembles a Surfer Ken doll. From Florida. Works at the Ritz Carlton in Miami.
» Jill: Nondescript brunette from Pennsylvania, likes music. Like I said, nondescript.
» Lauren: From Ohio, went to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Married with dachshunds. Husband currently serving in Iraq.
» Leah: Native New Yorker, from the Bronx. Lived in Italy, went to CIA. Spunky.
» Melissa: Token mellow earthy chick. Lives in Boulder. Works at Centro Latin Kitchen.
» Patrick: From Massachusetts. "Ate feelings as a child." Gay and proud. Still a student at CIA.
» Radhika: From Ohio, first generation Indian. Lives in Chicago, "loves to crochet and eat."
» Richard: From Long Island. Gay and Proud. Executive sous chef in San Diego. Partnered, with dogs.
» Stefan: Born in Finland. World traveled (and proud). Runs a catering company in Santa Monica. Single (and loving it).
Phew. That's too many cooks, kids. But not to worry, the fat-skimming begins almost immediately.
QUICKFIRE
Padma and Tom meet the clustermuck of fresh-from-the-plane cheftestants in a park, and waste not a moment. It's quickfire time! And in an unforeseen twist, "Top Chef" presents you with its first ever ELIMINATION QUICKFIRE. No, they're not kidding — someone is going home before things even get started.
It's an apple-themed challenge, but of course — 'tis NYC's signature fruit. There are three rounds, consisting of peeling with a paring knife, a perfect brunoise (tiny tiny chop) and cooking the apples to Tom's taste. Chefs are saved by the bell each round, and only the slowest move on.
Stefan wins, and earns immunity for the elimination challenge. After frantic peeling and chopping (and bloodied apples — take it easy, Richard!), there are but four chefs left in the elimination round. Radhika and Leah make savory dishes with a protein and an apple topping, while Patrick and Lauren make salads. SALADS? That's how you're going to win Colicchio's cold, hungry heart? Fools, I tell you.
He clearly hates both of them, but sends Lauren packing. One down, sixteen to go.
THE OLD ADAGE goes that we eat with our eyes first. So it makes sense, then, that Bravo's "Top Chef" is not only eaten up by audiences for the contestants' delicious culinary concoctions — see season one winner Harold Dieterle's spicy duck meatballs; season two winner Ilan Hall's seafood-stuffed paella; and even season four contestant Richard Blais' Willy Wonka-inspired smoked salmon with tapioca pearls and wasabi white chocolate sauce — but for its equally juicy servings of drama.
From the massive hatred toward season one runner-up Tiffani Faison to the crush every female contestant seemed to have on season two participant Sam Talbot (honestly, who didn't?) to even securing its own corner of the publishing world with "Top Chef: The Cookbook," "Top Chef" has risen to the top echelon of Bravo's ranks in the past two years, not only expanding the network's coverage past its fashion and home design bubble but also securing another solid fanbase (after all, as the recent fiasco with Lifetime proves, "Project Runway" can't stick around forever).
Nov. 12 marks the premiere of the fifth season of "Top Chef," and with 17 new contestants competing in New York City, the Big Apple will play host to this incarnation's quickfire and elimination challenges. Before the cooking and chaos begins, though, Express counts down the series' top five most memorable moments so far — kind of like a foodie's ultimate guilty pleasure, but without the calories.
Continue Reading "Still Cookin': Top 5 Moments from 'Top Chef'" »
Express' Karmah Elmusa lets "Top Chef Chicago" speak for itself.
WHAT'S THAT I HEAR? Quiet sobbing? 'Tis true, foodies, "Top Chef Chicago" is officially over.
Stephanie took it all last week and then all the chefs gracefully parted ways. HA! Bravo would never let such reality gold slip into the dark night without a reunion.
This week, chefs and judges gathered to hash out the season. Andy Cohen, the Ryan Seacrest of Bravo who claims to have other responsibilities, hosted the forcedly friendly sit down.
Read on for our cheftestants parting words.
Continue Reading "Hail to the Chef: The Bitter(sweet) End" »
Express Karmah Elmusa reveals the winner of "Top Chef Chicago."
IT ALL BOILS DOWN to this. The finale, the piece de resistance, the crowning of the this year's "Top Chef."
This week in scenic Puerto Rico, Richard, Stephanie and Lisa participated in a final elimination challenge. No quickfire, just one massive undertaking that allowed each chef to work freely and showcase their unique set of skills.
Going in, our cheftestants are balls of nervous energy, and each expresses it in their own way. Richard is "nervous but just ready to cook," and can't resist adding that he doesn't "think Lisa deserves to win 'Top Chef.'" The ever-neutral Stephanie feels that "the real competition is starting now." And the ever -aggressive Lisa knows she's "there by the skin of her teeth," but now she's going to "kick everyone's ass."
No spoilers here. Read on for famous guest judges, braised pistachios and the winner of "Top Chef Chicago."
Continue Reading "Hail to the Chef: The Cream of the Crop" »
Express' Karmah Elmusa takes you from four chefs down to the final three.
ANTONIA, RICHARD, LISA AND STEPHANIE are "Top Chef Chicago's" lucky four. Not only because they made it to Part 1 of the season finale, but because they got what had to be an all-expenses-paid trip to Puerto Rico to duke it out for the coveted title. Restrictive white chef's coats were left in Chicago and replaced with tank tops for this, the second-to-last set of challenges in the season.
There's been a six month real-time gap since we last saw our chefs. Antonia has been "cooking 100 hours a week" in her newly opened restaurant, Stephanie has spent time traveling in Vietnam and Cambodia, and it appears that Lisa has spent her days and weeks chopping off her greasy skater-boy locks and replacing them with a spiky, shorter 'do. I admit it: it looks better. Richard the Blais keeps quiet about his activities during the break, so it's safe to assume he just hung out in all his natural faux-hawky glory.
Read on to find out who left the pigs out and which chef traveled all the way to the Islands to turn right back around and go home.
Express' Karmah Elmusa spills the juicy details on the final five.
WELCOME TO THE final episode of "Top Chef Chicago" that will actually take place in Chicago — no, it's not the final final, you're not rid of me yet. Next go 'round, the lucky top four will migrate south to Puerto Rico to compete for the coveted title.
So, in an unmistakable ode to the Midwest, this week was all about the beef. From the beefy-looking guest judge to the quickfire to the elimination challenge, steak was the order of the day. Read on to find out who's Puerto Rico-bound, whose scallops sent them packing and who got away with making peanut butter mashed potatoes and a snarly face.
Express' Karmah Elmusa recaps the gory details of Restaurant Wars
THIS WEEK'S "TOP CHEF CHICAGO" marked the return of one of the great challenges of seasons past: Restaurant Wars. Wedding Wars threw me off, making me believe that this glorious, chaotic episode would never come. But come it did, and what a quasi-memorable battle it turned out to be.
This week's themes were excessive product placement, Buddhas and clashing ornery personalities. Oh, and guests! Yes, in a never-before-made move, one of our regular judges takes a brief vacation and is replaced by one of the sassiest, most established chefs/critics/travelers on the planet. I'll give you a clue: he has an earring, he'll eat anything and his brutal honesty keeps things fun. Awkward, but fun. Read on to ascertain the mystery visitor's identity.
Express' Karmah Elmusa separates the chefs from the tattle tales on "Top Chef Chicago."
BEFORE I COMMENCE this week's tasty recap, I have to let my faithful readers (hi, Mom and Dad!) know that I recently took the advice of our New Zealander chef Mark and watched "Bad Boy Bubby." During the movie challenge, Mark mentioned this flick at least 45 different times, and expressed utter shock that his teammate had not seen it. Well, Mark, I would just like to say, you are a sick, sick man. Major themes in the film include incest, death by plastic wrap, decomposing cats, homophobia and mental illness. I'm still recovering.
Moving on! This week on "Top Chef Chicago," it was all about keeping things healthy. Oh, and about screwing your competitors over. The cheftestants tried to steer Chicago's cops away from the burgers and Moco-choco-fatty-latas, all while attempting to sabotage each other (or make wild accusations of sabotage). Impressive! Read on for nutritional tips from Andrew and to find out why Lisa is reminiscent of a fourth grader (other than her haircut).
Express' Karmah Elmusa recaps what the bride and groom ate on "Top Chef."
THIS WEEK, the end stages of "Top Chef Chicago" began — the fat (in the form of mediocre cooks) has officially been skimmed. The nice, even number of eight — four men and four women (more ladies left at this stage than in seasons past) — made for the perfect opportunity to pit teams against each other in the most cutthroat (ha) "Top Chef" Challenge ever.
Cutting (ha) to the chase: the elimination challenge was titled Wedding Wars. As in, nuptials, the joining of soul mates, the most important day of a couple's life, etc. A real couple ... or a couple of good sports. Oh, and I should mention that along with the pressure applied to our chefs to pull off this task, there is also no time allotted for sleeping. Read on for a recap of the beautiful, inevitably tense, moments starring our stressy, exhausted, egomaniacal (if strangely lovable) bunch.
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