During this week’s episode of “The Next Food Network Star,” we may have been tipped off about who would be eliminated this week before they were eliminated. But more on that later.

The Final Four made it to New York City, where they would be duking it out for real to see who would have their own show on Food Network. The finalists? Aarti, Aria, Tom and Herb. And this week they would be battling Iron Chef-style. Alton Brown was waiting for them, as well as Iron Chefs Bobby Flay, Cat Cora, Michael Symon and Masaharu Morimoto. They would be competing in groups of two, making three dishes each based on the secret ingredient. When they weren’t competing they would be floor commentators ala Kevin Brasch.

They also had sous chefs to work with them, in the form of former contestants Brad, Brianna, Paul and Serena. Since Tom won last week’s challenge, he was able to choose his sous chef first and he went with Brianna. The rest chose randomly, and Herb picked Paul; Aarti chose Brad; and Aria had Serena.

The first battle was Herb vs. Aarti and the secret ingredient was shrimp. Herb was flying around the kitchen and Aarti was not….she kept contemplating her menu while the clock (60 minutes) was ticking fast. The judges questioned if she was going to finish, and rightly so. But she did. Meanwhile, Tom was awesome on the floor, even impressing Alton with his food knowledge, while Aria was the opposite–clumsy and not food savvy enough for Brown.

Herb’s dishes went over fairly well–he made a “hangover” shrimp dish that his mom made when he was growing up; a seafood soup; and stuffed shrimp. But Aria’s dishes were better–gazpacho with coconut milk; roasted shrimp; and prawn masala. Bobby loved the last two dishes and Symon even commented that the masala was the single best dish he had tasted on the three seasons he’d been guest-judging this show. Wow. Aarti really delivered the goods under pressure.

Tom then faced off against Aria and their secret ingredient was bacon. Yum! But these two too the challenge in opposite directions. Aria played it too safe while Tom just went crazy with his creations.
Aria made French toast tacos with a “side” of bacon…really? She then made a cheddar omelet (with bacon); and a waldorf salad with bacon. The judges berated her for not using the secret ingredient or making it the centerpiece of the dishes. Meanwhile, Tom went nuts. He made “bacon cakes” that were like crab cakes; a bacon steak, something that’s probably never in the history of food been attempted; and French toast with bacon and (are you ready for this?) clams. I’m getting nauseous just writing this. The judges thought Tom’s ideas were great but that he didn’t think them through enough. Ya think? Susie Fogelson’s attempt at cutting the bacon steak sounded like a bed squeaking in the next room over. Seriously, it looked like as if it was like trying to cut a piece of rubber. Meanwhile, Herb was a decent floor commentator but froze when asked to do a quick camera teaser. Really, Herb, at this stage? But Aarti was worse….just feeling like she was completely lost on the floor and totally uncomfortable.

At the judge’s evaluation, a winner was declared for each round. Aarti beat Herb, based mostly on her food; and Tom beat Aria, based mainly on his commentary. So they would both be heading to next week’s finale.

Meanwhile, either Herb or Aria would be eliminated this week. Herb had great energy and the judges loved his food, but Aarti was so good this week that Herb had no chance of winning. Too bad he didn’t go up against Tom or Aria. But Aria, while her food tasted good according to the judges, didn’t incorporate the secret ingredient enough, and was a lame commentator. So it was an easy choice to send her home, despite all the promise she showed early on this season. It’s worth noting that they were showing promos for a show called “Family Style” during the show…..which was supposed to be the name of Aria’s show. D’oh! Way to give it away, Food Network. Also, way to steal Aria’s idea.

So now we’re down to Herb, Tom and Aarti……and next week is the grand season finale. Who do you like? I’m saying it’s Aarti leading the pack with Tom a very strong contender. But is Tom too aloof? And Herb shows flashes of brilliance but also flashes of utter failure on camera. I’m sticking with Aarti–she’s unique, interesting and apparently knows how to cook. But we’ll see how it shakes out next week.

Who do you like? Who don’t you like? See you guys next week!

Last night’s finale of “The Next Iron Chef” on Food Network featured a battle in Kitchen Stadium akin to the real Iron Chef show…and that’s really how it should have been. It was also very close between chefs Garces and Mehta…and while each has a distinct cooking style, the judges had the difficult choice of crowning one of them the season’s champ, one to join the ranks of Flay, Batali, Cora, Morimoto, and Symon on the popular show.

The chairman began as he does every Iron Chef show..by disclosing the secret ingredient–ribs and racks…both pork and beef. Their task was to use that ingredient to create five dishes that represented America as a melting pot of cultures. It was also a daunting task because of the time usually required to break down rib meat, as they would have just 60 minutes.

The judges were the regulars–Anya Fernald, Jeffrey Steingarten and Donatella Arpaia, with input from Iron Chefs Bobby Flay, Michael Symon and Masaharu Morimoto…as well as host Alton Brown and the chairman.

Mehta’s goal was to fuse different cultures, and his dishes were: smothered dumplings, which Steingarten especially loved….a pork burger with chipotle mayo, which drew criticism from the judges for not being cooked quite enough…..an Indian spare rib with saffron rice, showing his roots….a buffalo steak with chocolate wine sauce, and while the judges applauded the multitude of flavors going on, some of them thought it was a bit too sweet….and finally, chef Mehta finished with a buffalo tartare topped with avocado sorbet, a dish one of the judges referred to as “outstanding,” while another said that chef Mehta “nailed it.”

Chef Garces themed everything after Chicago, where he was born, while showing off the general melting pot theme: he started with a buffalo tartare with Kobe beef sirloin, and the judges thought it was very flavorful and showed Garces’ control of the secret ingredient….a carnitas taco, which unfortunately had some large pieces of cartilage, and which some judges (ahem, Flay) thought it lacked heat…..a pork loin crusted with mustard and herbs, which one judge called “succulent”……a beef short rib pizza with bacon marmalade, which was said to be bold but “perplexing” with its blend of flavors…..and Garces finished with baby back ribs and spicy barbecue sauce, something the judges liked with its nice balance. However, Donatella claimed that she thought this dish to be safe, while Michael Symon disagreed with her.

The judges agreed that many of the dishes were similar, but that the approaches were quite different. Chef Mehta generally tries harder to present his dishes well, while Chef Garces goes more for technique and flavor. The judging points would be taste, originality and presentation.
Well, we figured Garces would win in taste and Mehta in presentation, and originality was probably ultimately a draw.

So as Donatella alluded to, the final choice was going to be who they thought would be the best Iron Chef to carry on the franchise in future Kitchen Stadium battles. That person, as the chairman announced at the end of the episode, was…..Jose Garces! I personally was having trouble seeing Mehta as an Iron Chef, and I think in the end the judges thought the same thing.

Chef Garces believed he would win, and probably believed that since Day 1. But this was a heck of a battle, and Chef Mehta has nothing to be ashamed of.

Okay, so chef Garces will now take his place alongside the other five Iron Chefs and begin battles that aren’t as critical to anything but his own reputation. And I think he does the franchise proud. We’ll have a chance to talk to Chef Garces on a conference call later today and will share those with you soon. Thanks for reading this season!

I admit to not loving “The Next Iron Chef” on Food Network, but yesterday’s show excited me more and I’m looking forward to the final round next Sunday. Last night, the final three were still in Japan, and were asked to show their integrity and tell a story with a Kaiseki, or multi-course meal. They would be judged on taste, creativity and presentation, and the judges would be the regulars Anya Fernald, Jeffrey Steingarten and Donatella Arpaia, as well as Dr. Hattori, the commentator of the original Iron Chef series in Japan.

After having an hour to shop at the fresh market for fish and produce, chefs Garces and Mullen were laughing at chef Mehta, who bought a crazy amount of flowers in which to use as garnishes. Say what? I hope he remembered that presentation was only a third of the points.

During service, chef Mullen was slowed by arthritis in his leg and visibly in pain. But he pressed on like an Iron Chef hopeful should. And though all of the chefs struggled with the two-hour time limit, they all managed to plate their dishes.

Chef Mullen went first and made a salmon mousse; sea urchin with strawberries prawn and potato confit with aioli; salmon and prawns, tomato and oyster soup; a miso soup with rice; and a strawberry ice cream with caviar. They all loved the ice cream, but since chef Mullen decided to make rice with his miso soup and didn’t cook it to Japanese standards, all four judges were tough on him for that. Plus, Steingarten referred to the mousse as being hard as a golf ball. Yikes.

Chef Mehta used a ton of flowers to express his own happiness and love of life, but the judges all thought he overdid it. He made a clam salad; a lobster with zucchini blossom; green chile shrimp with pickled vegetables; seared scallop with ginger and chrysanthemum; and an ice cream with rose petals, crab tartate and mango. The judges also thought chef Mehta’s dishes were too sweet overall and Steingarten referred to his ice cream as tasting like soap. Also, chef Mehta may not have presented a traditional “kaiseke.”

Chef Garces wanted his presentation to be like a show with five acts. He started with a gazpacho with king crab; then a Peruvian ceviche; a grilled kampachi fish with vegetables; a hot pot with lobster and abalone; and a sea urchin custard with mango. The judges mostly loved chef Garces’ dishes and it was pretty clear he would be reaching the finals. The only real complaint was that the hot pot dish was a bit too salty.

So it would likely be between chefs Mullen and Mehta. Chef Mullen was commended for his pressing on through pain, but in the end the fact that he messed up the rice was serious enough to send him home.
Chef Mehta was told by host Alton Brown that his presentation was a high point as well as a low point, but he still delivered some excellent dishes and was ushered into the finals along with chef Garces.

These guys have been eyeing each other since Day 1, and now we know why….and after flying back to New York, they will face off in Kitchen Stadium to determine who will be the Next Iron Chef. I have to say Garces is the favorite, but Mehta is a fierce competitor and won’t go down without a fight. Who do you like? Let me know in the space below and see you next week for the finale results!

Last night on Food Network’s “The Next Iron Chef,” the final four chefs were whisked off to Japan, where they would compete in the birthplace of the Iron Chef series. For the initial challenge, Chefs Garces, Freitag, Mehta and Mullen had to first create small dishes with the UMAMI flavor profile (a savory soy-based flavor originated in Japan). Iron Chef Masumatu Morimoto would be the judge.

Each chef appeared to do a nice job with this challenge, but chef Mehta won it with his leeks with panko; soy clams; grilled beef; apples; and strawberries. Morimoto thought he did the best job of incorporating the UMAMI profile, and suddenly he is looking like a contender.

Then they brought in the commentator for the Iron Chef series in Japan, Dr. Hattori, who would announce the main challenge along with host Alton Brown. The challenge would be to create another set of small meals in a bento box with rice as the centerpiece, but using each of the five flavor profiles–salty, sweet, bitter, sour and UMAMI. They would have 90 minutes to create these dishes and chef Mehta would have the advantage of first choice of ingredients.

Chef Mehta made oyster sherbet (ewwww!!), shrimp UMAMI, salty pork and rice, bitter melon salad and a sweet berry dessert.

Chef Mullen went with bitter tempura, bibimbap (some sort of Japanese specialty) with Kobe beef, green olive/sardines with rice, sour sticky rice with octopus, and yuzu ice cream with rice crackers.

Chef Garces made bitter green salad, pickled sardines, octopus with rice cakes, UMAMI pork belly and a sweet rice pudding with raspberries.

Finally, Chef Freitag made a kuromutzu fish, an UMAMI Kobe beef teriyaki, salty rice balls with seaweed, bitter radicchio tempura, and a black sticky rice with fruit for the sweet dish.

The judges, which were Dr. Hattori along with the main judges for the season–Anya Fernald, Jeffrey Steingarten and Donatella Arpaia–liked something about each of the chefs’ creations. But the winner of the challenge and now current frontrunner was Chef Garces.

The next one sent to safety was Chef Mehta, so it was down to Mullen and Freitag. The judges liked Mullen’s ice cream a lot and also liked Freitag’s fish, but in the end they chose Chef Mullen to continue and sent Freitag home.

So now it’s down to Mullen, Mehta and Garces to compete for the title of the Next Iron Chef. All three appear like they can make noise in the next two weeks, so this thing is pretty much wide open. Who do you like? We’ll find out more next week…see you then!

The current season of “The Next Iron Chef” on Food Network is rolling right along, and last night they accelerated things again as two aspiring chefs were eliminated. Now we are in Final Four territory.

Last night’s episode began with the chairman introducing Indian chef Suvir Saran, who then asked the chefs to create their own impression of Indian food, in small bits and strictly vegetarian. Of course, this would appear to give chef Mehta an advantage because he was of Indian heritage. But he had also won the previous challenge, so he also had a tangible advantage….which wound up being having first choice of ingredients.

Mehta made an eggplant dish but used some sort of fabric to make a “plate,” and this confused Saran because he wasn’t sure if he could eat the plate or not, and he couldn’t. Each of the other chefs, for the most part, made some sort of bread and some sort of chutney to accent their dish. The favorite and winner of the challenge was chef Appleman, who made a cauliflower and potato curry dish.

Before the main challenge, the chefs were told that this would be a double elimination and that four of them would be getting on a plane and heading off to a far-away location to continue competing. Their task was to create a 5-course Indian meal in just two hours using the ingredients currently in the kitchen. Chef Appleman had his choice of ingredients since he won the previous challenge and he went with snapper and lamb. Then it was a mad dash as each chef was tugging and pulling on the remaining proteins like kids tugging at candy. Here is a brief cross-section of what each chef made:

Trevino–chicken tikka and beef curry

Garces–spinach and cheese paneer, prawns and dal soup

Appleman–Aloo gobi, eggplant stuffed with lamb, sag paneer, and roasted banana

Freitag–Naan bread with chicken mughlai (she served it, disgustingly, with the chicken’s head on the plate…ewwwwww!)

Mullen–goat vindaloo, spiced prawns and red lentil dal

Mehta–rice, dal, spicy okra, fritters and semolina dessert.

The judges liked most of the dishes, but a few of the negative comments were that Mullen’s dal was an “unpleasant interpretation,” and that Appleman’s banana smelled and tasted funky. If fact, I’m pretty sure judge Donatella Arpaia wanted to say it tasted like stinky feet.

The first one to safety and who was handed a ticket to the next destination was chef Freitag, but then host Alton Brown told chef Trevino that he was the first chef to be heading home. Garces was the next to safety, and Brown informed him that he had won this particular challenge and would have an advantage next week.

Mehta was the next in the final four, leaving chefs Mullen and Appleman, both of whom have shown that they could be frontrunners recently. And both were cocky, saying they didn’t expect to be eliminated. So the next one in the finals was….chef Mullen! Appleman and his cocky attitude were sent packing, and I have to admit I was surprised, because despite his attitude, he seems to be an excellent chef. Brown told him as much, and that he had a bad night and it cost him. Wow.

So your final four is Freitag, Garces, Mehta and Mullen…..and it appears to be a wide open competition. As to where they are headed? Tokyo, Japan….where the Iron Chef concept began and where Food Network star and original Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto will be on hand to help judge.

See you all next week!