Okay, now in a finale that seems to be lasting a month, because it is lasting a month, we are finally down to the final two chef-testants who will battle it out for the title of Top Chef next week. But first host Padma Lakshmi started out with celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck for the quickfire challenge, which would be to do a choice of a past quickfire challenge. However, the chefs would be assigned these by a competing chef. Yikes. Mike chose first and had Antonia do the “only canned food” challenge; Antonia gave richard the hot dog challenge, which wasn’t a huge stretch; and Richard gave Mike the one-pot-only challenge. Then Padma entered the kitchen halfway through, and added one more twist–they would have to use a crutch from a previous quickfire–Richard assigned Mike the “no utensils” challenge; Antonia gave Richard the one-hand-only challenge; and Antonia had the one remaining, which was to finish the task while having recently-eliminated Carla tied to her.

Antonia made a curry soup; Richard made hot dog and homemade roti bread with a ketchup sauce; and Mike made pork and beans with pork shoulder cooked in a pressure cooker.

Then, for the elimination challenge, the chefs had to make the “last supper” request of a specific celebrity chef–Puck, Michelle Bernstein, or Masaharu Morimoto. Yikes. Mike won the quick fire so he had the choice of who to cook for, and also who to assign his competitors to–he chose Michelle, and gave Antonia Morimoto and gave Richard Puck. So Puck’s last supper was goulash with spaetzele and apple strudel; Michelle’s was fried chicken; and Morimoto’s was a benton box of fish and sticky rice.

Each of them did nicely, but each had faults as well. Now, Padma had told them to be warned of an envelope that contained another twist. And that this was the judges’s table, which included her, Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons, and the three celebs they were cooking for. Well, the first thing they did was to tell Richard he was in the finale. Whew. Thankfully they gave the guy a break this time and didn’t make him sweat any more. But then here came the twist. Padma opened the envelope and said that Mike and Antonia had to cook again–45 minutes to create one bite for the marbles of getting to the finale and face Richard. Yikes.

So Antonia made a coconut curry and Mike made a surf and turf with lobster and beef tartare. And the judges loved and disliked things about both of the bites. This was gonna be a tough decision. Mrs. Mike thought Mike was going home and I had hoped he was right, because he’s become super-cocky. But it was Antonia, who fell just short again.

So the finale next week for all the marbles will be Richard vs. Mike. I’ve been touting Richard all along but I’m quite surprised Mike made it this far. But he really is blowing these people away with his dishes.

So there you have it…..who do you like? And see you all next week for the grand finale of Top Chef All Stars!

Okay, so last week we were fired up that “Top Chef All-Stars” would have a final five instead of a final four, but that would change last night. When they got to the Bahamas for the finale, I wondered if this was it, if this was the episode they would name the Top Chef. But it didn’t feel like a finale. So what it wound up being is a competition that would bring them down to four.

It started last night at Fort Charlotte, where the chef-testants would compete against the chefs that won their season–Stephanie, Hosea, Michael, and Kevin. The quick fire challenge would be to compete against the chef that won their respective season, using a secret ingredient chosen for them ahead of time. Mike was up against Michael Voltaggio, maybe the best chef in the history of the show, and they had duck; Antonia and Richard would square off against Stephanie using veal; Carla was up against Hosea using lamb; and Tiffany squared off vs. Kevin using pork. The winners would each take home $10K.

Mike beat Michael with his cashew dusted duck breast; Richard beat both Stephanie and Antonia (roasted veal with leeks and almond puree) with his seared veal loin and braised veal cap with carrots, raisins and potatoes; Carla lost to Hosea when she made harissa lamb with rice; and Tiffany beat Kevin with her pork stew with potatoes and peppers. So Tiffany, Mike and Richard had confidence heading into the elimination challenge.

That challenge was to cook for a dinner party for the King of Junkanoo. But whether it was a conspiracy or not, the deep fryer in the kitchen of the restaurant they were in caught fire, which forced them out of that kitchen and having to start over again. Antonia and Carla each changed their dishes as a result. At the judge’s table, host Padma Lakshmi was joined by Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons, Eric Ripert and of course, the King of Junkanoo. Tom said that overall, the dishes missed the mark.

But they did have a couple of favorites, and the winner this week was Mike (chicken, mushroom and lobster hash with yams). Richard was also safe, with his lamb loin “cannelloni” with pickled turnip). Richard, of course, thought his dish sucked, but the judges liked it enough to keep him around. So facing elimination were Carla (pork loin with sweet potatoes and apple chips); Antonia (fried shrimp over grits flavored with pork, and slaw); and Tiffany (roasted spiced pork with dirty rice). I thought that they said enough good things about Tiffany’s dish, and that it would come down to Carla and Antonia—and it was Carla. So Carla heads home and our final four is Antonia, Tiffany, Mike and Richard. Okay then. I still like Richard but any of them can win, and that’s how it should be.

I have to admit, I was very surprised that none of the chefs made a fish dish, though Antonia’s shrimp and Mike’s use of lobster were the only things from the ocean. Still, no fish, in the Bahamas? Kind of interesting, or maybe the presence of Eric Ripert coupled with the fear of losing were the reasoning behind that.

So who do you like now? I still like Richard, despite his own self-doubt. See you all next week!

I love “Top Chef.” And I love “Top Chef” more now that they did something so right last night. But more on that in a bit. The show began as the chef-testants were being filmed in their dorm, which, as it turns out, is in Brooklyn with a great view of Manhattan. Then host Padma Lakshmi showed up and asked them to meet her on the building’s roof, which really showed off the amazing view. You could also see Ellis Island, which is where immigrants had to pass through on their way to the “new world” a century or so ago.

The quickfire challenge would be to create a dish using only the ingredients and cooking utensils that were on board the ferry boat to Ellis Island. So, you know, hot dogs, chips and Twinkies. Blue Hill’s Dan Barber was the guest judge and would be for the elimination challenge as well.

The least favorite dishes were Richard’s hot dog jerky sandwich, that was partially aided by some packets of something that boils hot dogs that he had in his jacket; Tiffany’s nachos and popcorn with candied mango; and Mike’s peasant soup made with bread, cheese, sour cream and jalapenos. Dan commented that that soup could have sunk the ship. Ha! His favorites were Carla’s orange papaya salad and Antonia’s grilled cheese sandwich with apples made on the hot dog roller. And the winner was Carla.

For the elimination challenge, it was mighty interesting. As they were on Ellis Island, genealogists had helped each chef-testant trace their family trees a bit, and the challenge was to create something that showcased their roots. But joining them for dinner and in helping to come up with their ideas were family members and loved ones…..the moms of Antonia, Mike and Tiffany; Richard’s pregnant wife and Carla’s husband. Too cool. And then as they were looking at the geneaology results, they realized that Mike and Antonia are actually distant relatives. Ha! Now that was funny, and they kept playing up the whole cousin thing.

So Carla and Tiffany, who are both African American, found out where their ancestors had originated from in the US–Carla in the south in states like Tennessee and Mississippi; and Tiffany in Texas and Louisiana. So Carla made pork shoulder with grits and cheddar biscuits; and Tiffany made short ribs with stewed okra and rice with oxtail marmalade. Antonia and Mike were both Italian, and Mike made gnocchi with pork ragout; and Antonia veal shank with risotto. Richard had Irish and English roots and made short ribs with bone marrow, corn puree and pickled glass wart (or sea beans). Wow.

So Padma asked all of them to come into the judge’s table, and what they found out was that they loved every dish. How could they possibly eliminate someone? Well, first they announced that the overall winner was Antonia. She was automatically advancing to the finale and also won a new Toyota. Mike was also safe and in the finale. So it was down to Richard, Carla and Tiffany. Padma said, “Richard, please pack your knives……you’re going to the finale!” Yikes! Of all people to do that to, they made Richard sweat for 10 seconds and made me and Mrs. Mike angry for those 10 seconds.

Okay, down to Carla and Tiffany. Man, what a tough choice. Padma said, “Carla…….Tiffany…..you’re both going to the finale!” And folks, that’s why I love this show. The judges decide who will be eliminated and they are almost always fair. And in this case, they made absolutely the right call–turning a Final Four into a Final Five.

So there you have it. Next week Mike, Antonia, Carla, Tiffany and Richard will compete for the grand prize of Top Chef, but with the added status of Top Chef All-Star. And that will all take place in the Bahamas, with this added nugget–each chef will compete head to head against the chef that won their respective season. Oooooohhhh. That’s good TV.

Thanks for reading and see you all next week….

Last night “Top Chef All-Stars” on Bravo merged its own brand with Food Network, as Paula Deen was introduced by host Padma Lakshmi as the guest judge for the quick fire challenge. But first they showed the remaining six chefs hanging around with Richard showing Mike his “secret black book” of ideas. Hmmm. So what do you think the challenge was? Yep, making a dish using a deep fryer.

Paula said that her true favorite was Antonia’s fried shrimp and avocado, but she was disqualified for only plating one dish in time and not two. The least favorites were Dale (oyster and beef) and Carla (catfish). The two favorites not named Antonia were Richard (fried mayo balls!) and Mike (fried chicken in oyster shells–an idea he stole from Richard’s book!). Mike won and he took home $5K as well as angry glares from Richard. Wow. Carla, Tiffany and Antonia talked about this being a violation of “chef law.”

So on to the elimination challenge, and Paula would be a guest judge along with John Besh, and the chefs would be cooking for a fundraiser to save Gulf seafood following the oil spills. Of course, they would be using Gulf seafood, and they also would need a sous chef. So six sous chefs, aka former contestants, each brought in a form of seafood. Mike won the quick fire and got to choose first, and his choice was Tiffani; Richard chose Fabio; Tiffany chose Marcel but said she was choosing the protein, shrimp, not the sous chef!; Carla chose Tre; Antonia Spike and Dale Angelo.

It was interesting to see the dynamic here–Tiffany trying not to listen to Marcel; the man-love between Fabio and Richard and also Dale and Angelo; and Carla finding out Tre was a “city boy” growing up. But in the end, some chefs shone through while others really tanked.

The favorites were Richard (crispy snapper with pulled pork and citrus grits); Antonia (crab cakes with corn and crab broth); and Mike (grit-crusted shrimp). The winner, thankfully, was Richard. Whew. It sure would have sucked if Mike beat him again.

The least faves were Tiffany (honey glazed shrimp); Dale (amberjack stew); and Carla (fried grouper with collard greens and chow-chow pico). Just based on past performance alone, you had to think Tiffany would be first to go home, maybe Carla. But I don’t know if anyone was prepared to hear Padma say, “Dale, please pack your knives and go.” But that’s what happened. Wow. Dale had shown to be a serious contender but he and Angelo got whacked in back to back weeks. Still, Tom had mentioned at the judge’s table that “one bad dish will get you sent home.” And that’s what happened to Dale.

So now we’re down to five–Mike, Richard, Carla, Antonia and Tiffany. This is a rather interesting final five that will be a final four after next week’s episode. Back when this show began, did anyone peg this group to be vying for the Top Chef All-Star title? Maybe Richard, maybe Antonia, but definitely not Mike and Tiffany. Then again, they both went deep in their seasons for a reason.

So that’s it…we’re getting down to it here and it’s getting mighty interesting! Who do you like?

Last night was a really interesting episode of “Top Chef All-Stars,” as the judges for the quick fire would be……Cookie Monster, Elmo and Telly from “Sesame Street.” How awesome and cool and what must have been really weird for the chef-testants. Richard pointed out that he has a 2 year old girl and in his house Elmo is like Elvis. The challenge? What else…to make cookies from scratch in 45 minutes. The winner would take home $5K. The least favorites were Richard (who made ice cream balls that weren’t really cookies) and Angelo, who made chocolate hazelnut cookies with a banana chocolate milkshake. The favorites were Dale (no bake potato chip/pretzel cookies) and Antonia (chocolate cookies) and the overall winner was Dale. Elmo joked that while Antonia’s cookies were delicious, they looked like “cow chips”….classic!

Then for the elimination challenge, which held a grand prize of $25K, the chefs had three hours in the middle of the night to use anything on the shelves in a Target store, and cook a meal for 100 employees as well as the Top Chef judges. This week, judges included Ming Tsai and Target’s Thomas O’Brien as well as Padma, Tom, and Anthony Bourdain. Ironically, almost all of the chefs made some form of soup. It was interesting to see what their strategy was. Remember, Target stores are very large, so in order to gather their station materials and cooking utensils, they had to race around the store. Then, of course, they had to figure out their meals and gather the ingredients from the grocery department of the store.

In the end, the favorite dishes were by Dale (grilled cheese/ribeye sandwiches made using an iron and tomato soup from scratch), Antonia (Parmesan cream eggs with almond, tomato and apple) and Richard (pork two ways–tenderloin and ribs). The winner was Dale, making him $30K richer on the day. Man, this dude is really making a case to be Top Chef, isn’t he?

The least favorites were Carla (curried apple soup with tomato/ginger jam), Tiffany (jambalaya) and Angelo (baked potato soup). The judges said Carla’s just lacked flavor and depth and could have been better with a protein such as chicken; Tiffany’s suffered from having too much of a processed taste, made true by the fact that she used a spice packet!; and Angelo just was way too liberal with the salt shaker, to the point where the judges couldn’t get beyond a couple of spoonfuls. I really thought it would be Tiffany, but in the end it was Angelo who was sent packing. The dude just blew it, and as he readily admitted, he was burnt out and so was his own palate.

So there you have it….we’re down to six chef-testants–Antonia, Carla, Tiffany, Mike, Dale and Richard. I think one thing I’ve learned from watching this show is that you just never know who is going to get the boot–especially this season when we’re dealing with the best of the best. Thanks for reading, and see you all next week….