Chicagoist: Top Chef Chicago Recap, Week 11

deeb

Fri, 23 May 2008 19:27:01 -0600

OMG... what if Lisa wins. Even though I shouldn't have been surprised, I was, when Dale got cut (@smussy: hubris is the perfect word!). Remember a few weeks ago when Stephanie made that peanut butter-tomato concoction that Padme abhorred (what was the word she used)? I thought to myself when they went to commercial that if Steph made it through then the show was more about politics than cooking. So now it's the villanous Lisa and her lizard eyes. Its the forked tongue challenge.

Natalia1979

Fri, 23 May 2008 15:39:44 -0600

I really think the producers want a woman to win this season. Ahem. I'm just sayin'...

frp

Thu, 22 May 2008 19:08:40 -0600

I just watched this ep on my DVR....all I can say is, "Wow." I can't believe Dale got it, but I can believe it. Chuck is right, the executive chef of the losing team always gets 86ed. Always. Dale should've been a bit more strategic and had Lisa be executive chef. His own ego became is undoing, and he followed his ego right out the door. I was hoping that a Filipino brother would've made the final four, but, alas, it is not to be. And, Stephanie was waaaay cute. I wonder if she has a date for that trip to Spain?

Chuck Sudo

Thu, 22 May 2008 15:17:18 -0600

Steph can become flustered in quickfires. Her performances there are very scattershot. What's saved her bacon on numerous occasions is, as Ocean said, stepping out of her comfort zone and rising to the challenge. She's shown an incredible flair for dessert throughout this season. She also takes the judges criticism graciously; her only peer in that regard is Richard. And even he can act like "What, me?" Antonia's strengths are her calm under pressure and her ability to stick to her tastes, even when she shouldn't (the Polish sausage improv bit aside). She's tough. Either would be worthy of winning. Of course, if Lisa somehow winds up whining, blaming, and scowling her way to the final three, all odds are off the board.

Ocean

Thu, 22 May 2008 14:51:52 -0600

Richard has a pretty serious flaw...he can't get seafood right without having to be looked after. Details, details... What is Steph's? Does she have one? I'd bet she sealed the deal in the judges minds with that cake and the rest of the season is just gravy. Antonia is a good cook, but you just don't get the sense that she's risen above and beyond like you do with Steph. Lisa's days are numbered now that Dale is gone, just like Jens were when Zoe left. As the rest...meh.

GL

Thu, 22 May 2008 14:38:52 -0600

I thought Dale earned his booting as much as Lisa did this week. It was a toss up. As for being Exec. Chef, he noted the shitty soup, then shrugged and effectively said "not my problem". He also tried to pass off the rice disaster as entirely Lisa's doing. The Exec. Chef can have an impact. If Dale isn't comfortable doing something drastic, then he shouldn't have accepted the responsibility. That whole team was a disjointed mess and the "leader" got nailed for it. I would have rather seen Lisa go. Her pinched face expressions of attitude and her complete suckitude in the kitchen drive my batty (I'm glad Bourdain called her for the arms crossed, hostile stance). However, I can see how Dale got tossed.

Dave!

Thu, 22 May 2008 13:27:53 -0600

I think for me, fan fav would be a tie between Richard and Stephanie. I'm impressed with both of their dishes (generally) and both have exhibited amazing class and respect on the show. Antonia just rubbed me the wrong way when she and Lisa kept dissing Polish sausage and her failure to grasp the concept of improv.

send9

Thu, 22 May 2008 13:21:48 -0600

I'd vote for Richard for fan favorite, but then again, he's a very likely Top Chef as well. Especially with the competition being weakened now that Dale is gone. He was an ass, and he made a lot of mistakes, but at least he made those mistakes because he took chances. Lisa is an OK chef, but certainly isn't creative enough to be a Top Chef.

groggy

Thu, 22 May 2008 13:16:36 -0600

@ThisGuy, That's possible as my vision is less than perfect. Still, I'd rather imagine it once said Top Biotch...

Zack

Thu, 22 May 2008 13:08:55 -0600

So, who's the fan favorite this year? I'm definitely biased for Stephanie, but I think Antonia might have that one locked up. Did Dale win fan favorite of season three? Can't remember.

ThisGuy

Thu, 22 May 2008 13:08:12 -0600

I might not have seen it as cleary, but I thought the shirt said "yo biotch"

Dave!

Thu, 22 May 2008 12:48:48 -0600

@smussy: Cheap shot that never gets leveled at men?? So I didn't read repeated snarky comments about "the Hobbit"... that wasn't about Mark's appearance? His hygiene and appearance was criticized as much as Lisa's... And people talk about Spike's hats as well and those (assuming they aren't magical wizard hats) don't have anything to do with his talents (or lack thereof) as a chef. Bottom line: Stephanie, Antonia, and Richard are all good chef's. I happen to think Stephanie is cute, too. And when her position is predominately front of house, I don't think it's out of line to second that she looked good. Anyone is free to go on about the Richard's dashing faux-hawk, if that sort of thing gets you going. I do like his pink shoes.

Thu, 22 May 2008 12:42:18 -0600

Smussy, I've seen at least two of the male conestants be judged rather frequently regarding their physical apperance on the show. Richard's choice of haircut, and Spike's ridiculous choice of hats, are attacked almost as much as Lisa's greasy hair in this blog and other blogs I read regarding Top Chef. Not sure Lisa is facing as much of a double standard regarding her physical apperance as you indicate here.

Chuck Sudo

Thu, 22 May 2008 12:22:54 -0600

I know that the Restaurant Wars episode usually results in the Executive Chef getting the boot. But, shite, outside of their décor, Mai Buddha had so much going wrong; I almost expected Bourdain to offer them pointers. It was surreal to watch, and kudos to José Andrés for calling them out on their ass covering and bickering.

smussy

Thu, 22 May 2008 12:21:50 -0600

okay. hate to do it ... but i'm getting a wee bit tired of all the comments in re: the ladies' physical appearances. it's just a cheap shot that never gets leveled at men. lisa had super shitty food and always has a shit attitude. that is more than enough reason to rip her to shreds. and stephanie has consistently matched richard in execution and class ... do we really need to discuss her plunging neckline? onward, onward. here's the deal. i agree with ad in that lisa should have gone for her two horrible dishes. and truth be told, he *wasn't* near as much of a dick as i thought he could have been given that things were going to hell in a laksa handbasket AND bourdain pretty much told him he --should-- have given everyone a world of shit. however, if he wasn't so insistent on being exec chef in the first place and let lisa step up and take this one, maybe we would have all gotten our wish and watched queen baby go home. in reviewing this one, perhaps his hubris finally took him down.

Thu, 22 May 2008 11:53:50 -0600

The problem with the Restaurant Wars episodes is that the exec chef on the losing team is basically guararnteed to go home--right or wrong. I understand that in the real world, a restaurant's failure can usually be laid squarely at the feet of the exec chef or the owner. In top chef, however, Dale doesn't really have all that much control over what Lisa does. He tasted her soup and rice and said both tasted like sh#t. What is he suppose to do, though, not send it out? Fire her? Have her not serve a single dish. No way Lisa would allow that to happen. Neither of those options are really in his power the way the show is structured, though the contestants are evaluated as if they are. Her dishes were so fu*ked up from an execution stand point that there is no way they could be saved, and Dale really seemed to try with the rice dish. Sure, Dale's scallop dish was apparently awful. Lisa, however, served two dishs that were inedible in the judge's minds. Basically, she didn't do anything right. How she grease-slicked her way through another challenge is beyond me.

Dave!

Thu, 22 May 2008 11:36:30 -0600

Well, it was *no* shocker that the Warehouse Kitchen crew smoked the CWT team... that was a no-brainer. Antonia, Richard and Stephanie deserve to be in the final four. I thought Dale deserved to be there, too. I was sad to see him go. And I don't like Spike, but man, I cannot *stand* Lisa. Her constant whining, her 'someone sabotaged me' BS, her greasy hair and most importantly--her sub-par food, make me want to turn the show off. Spike doesn't really deserve to be in the final four, but if Lisa makes it there, it will be a travesty. And Chuck, I'm with you on Stephanie's neckline... cute *and* a great chef! She's got it going on... :)

UTV

Thu, 22 May 2008 11:31:36 -0600

How heartbreaking was it to watch Mark and Andrew re-appear for six seconds, not get picked, and slink off with their knives? It was gym class dodgeball all over again.

groggy

Thu, 22 May 2008 11:29:55 -0600

Did anyone notice that during the Quickfire Antonia was wearing a shirt that said "TO BIOTCH"? I'm guessing that the producers made her rip off the P in "Top," but I loved it anyway!

Zack

Thu, 22 May 2008 11:11:27 -0600

After judge's table I called it. If previous seasons are anything to go by it had to be Dale. Don't get me wrong though, I wanted Lisa to go as much as anybody, to the point of chanting, "Lisa. Lisa. Lisa" until they made the announcement. And I agree that the episode was a mindfk. Was I the only one waiting for the dream team to slip up? It just seemed foreshadowed throughout the episode. I guess I can live with Spike in the final four, but for all that is good and holy Lisa MUST go the next episode.

smussy

Thu, 22 May 2008 10:43:46 -0600

this one was a total mindfk. seriously. i normally can predict these reality tv shows a mile away, since i watch so many of them. but i literally was looking at the tv with my mouth agape at the end of this one. i couldn't BELIEVE that they didn't can lisa. shitty laksa (whatever those are) AND "vomit with woodchips" which bourdain toned down to "baby food and something" *and* blamed it on a diner for some reason. i was SO glad that jose andres: 1. finally busted out the contestants for acting like childish, bickering assholes and said that's not how restaurants work AND 2. totally called out spike for his smarmy smirk and how he acted like he got away with something by leaving those two in the back. he clearly couldn't be sent home for it, but i'm glad his little ploy didn't go unnnoticed. i can't lie and say that i wasn't thrilled when antonia picked stephanie and richard. i knew they'd totally win and kick the other team's ass and i wasn't sad about it. however, i thought this meant that lisa would be handily kicked off this week (freudian slip: i just typed "weak.").