Top Chef - S8E8 Power Rankings

Hey, all!

With huge apologies, illness (mine and others) and work are conspiring to keep me away from the rankings this week. But as we did for episode three, rather than totally bail on you, let's go with the short form.

While the QF annoyed me greatly at first, my annoyance has waned since last Wednesday. Though it initially struck me as just shy of sacriligeous, I've decided I'm okay with the dishes not being tasted. But IF we're going to go that route, I say narrow the focus and state that since we can't taste, the dishes must be so beautifully presented that we can imagine just what they taste like. In short, screw abstract art on a plate, make me feel like my eyes have tastebuds. THAT would have been a good presentation challenge. And incidentally, the guy could be a genius -- fashion isn't my thing -- but I think I've now spent all of the time I care to spend with Isaac Mizrahi.

I'm especially annoyed by having to go short form since this was the week to discuss Italian food. To sum up:

• Love for dry pasta, woo!
• Lack of cold antipasti, boo!
• Simple stuff winning the day, huzzah!
• Stiff, garnished risotto, bleagh!

Consider this an attempt to make up for my usual wordly abundance with bad rhymes.

The power rankings are not purely a prediction of who is most likely to win, or an assessment of last episode's dishes, or a reflection of the contestants' historical performance, but rather a nebulous amalgam of all three, combined with a little bit of gut feeling, to provide a relative measure of current awesomeness.

Wins

Top

Bottom

1 Richard Quickfires 3 5 0 Last Week: 2 Eliminations 2 4 1 This wasn't Richard's strongest week, and he oddly continues his schnitzelriffic streak, but he still pulled down a win, his elimination dish seemed solid, and the previous occupant of the top position faceplanted. Which makes this one kind of easy. Good call going black with Mizrahi, BTW.

2 Dale Quickfires 2 3 2 Last Week: 1 Eliminations 2 5 1 See faceplant: above. That was brutal. If, as Tom postulated, he tossed his pasta ingredients together rather than cooking them together, that is, indeed, a mortal sin before the pasta gods. But coming off a hot streak like Dale was, even a week like that doesn't cause you to fall too far. Everybody screws up sometimes. As long as it isn't a trend, he'll remain near the top.

3 Angelo Quickfires 0 0 4 Last Week: 3 Eliminations 2 5 1 Only just barely. When you watch a few episodes that lead you to believe Angelo is a normal human being, it's comforting to be reminded that he's insane. And I say that fondly. Not sure the crocadile (sic) look will be trending in restaurants nationwide this year, but at least he pulled off a solid, if imperfect, elimination dish. Biggest problem is how long it's been since he made noise. He's on the verge of dropping a couple of spots due to inactivity.

4 Antonia Quickfires 1 1 2 Last Week: 5 Eliminations 1 3 4 Yes, her QF would have been more at home in a grammar school art class, and yes, she made steamed mussels, but I have to give her a little bump for playing smart and getting her first win. During her first run, I was always first in line to criticize her dishes for being too simple and straightforward. But you have to allow for the challenge's vibe, and I think she captured it.

5 Carla Quickfires 0 2 3 Last Week: 4 Eliminations 2 5 1 Carla didn't do a thing wrong this week, in fact she got top mention twice. It's just that some of the earlier momentum is slowing. I'm a little annoyed by the certainty with which some (not here, I don't think) have expressed that her top mention was due solely to Bracco. I certainly can't discount it, but it's awfully speculative. The truly negative comments were from a non-judge, Bracco raved, and Bourdain simply seemed unenthused. That still leaves two judges from whom we heard nothing. Let's not assume this was a favor to the Hollywood royalty in attendance while half the jury is out, please. Incidentally, beautiful plate in the QF. Probably would have been my choice.

6 Mike Quickfires 1 3 2 Last Week: 5 Eliminations 0 2 2 What Mike did was an oops. And I usually don't punish oopses too harshly unless they're habitual. Mike is not a habitual oopser. Quite the contrary, he's usually pretty solid, and to me it seems most likely that his downfall, like last time, will be that at some point he'll simply be less impressive than the other remaining contestants. That said, this is two weak elimination dishes in a row, and Fabio nearly leapfrogged him.

7 Fabio Quickfires 0 1 3 Last Week: 8 Eliminations 0 5 3 He probably should have leapfrogged Mike... I just couldn't quite pull the trigger on it. As I've said, even if it's a challenge you should crush, you still have to crush it. He only just missed. And Fabio's been sort of quietly making a good showing for himself. But I still don't believe this little warm streak has legs. (For how many episodes have I been saying that now?) Plus, anybody who knocks the simplicity of Antonia's mussels but doesn't apply the same scorn to Fabio's chicken is, I think, applying that standard rather selectively.

8 Tiffany Quickfires 0 0 4 Last Week: 9 Eliminations 0 3 3 Sounds like her elimination dish was pretty good. Not really Italian or Italian-American as much as it was inspired by Italian ingredients and flavors. Which is completely fine (even if I still wish somebody had done a cold antipasto). Not good enough to get out of the basement, though. She still seems like the weak link to me.

9 Tre Quickfires 2 3 1 Last Week: 7 Eliminations 0 3 4 Did I mention that I'd be bringing some deep-seated prejudices to this challenge? I cringe just looking at the photo of his dish, and I'm completely sympathetic to the judges when it comes to this particular mini-controversy. I try to keep an open mind. Really, I do. But as I've said, some techniques are traditional because they work. Those who suggest that Tre was booted for cooking his risotto "improperly" and not because it didn't taste good are, I think, assuming facts not in evidence. More likely, I think, the judges felt the flavor was lacking beacuse of Tre's technique, which is why the latter got all of the lip service. And because it's a sore point for those who are constantly frustrated by pasty risotto. I'm betting that if Tre's dish killed it, loose or stiff doesn't matter. It's illustrative of another Top Chef truism: you can succeed by stepping outside of the box, but you'd better make a great dish or you just hung yourself out to dry. Classy as always on the exit, though.

And I leave you with what I consider one of the funniest moments in Top Chef history.

Discuss!

Comments

[timothy]

Excellent. Thanks. It's hard for me to even respond to the rankings. They certainly make sense. At the same time I think it's been proven that one week anyone can be on the top and anyone can be on the bottom, so the rankings seem kind of tenuous. Everyone in the top three has been your number one pick at some point. I would like to see Antonia or Carla end up the finals. I think I could argue that Dale could be number five behind the two women, but that argument would be based on a lot of speculation.

[EdT.]

Let's see: #1 - Richard.

YESSS!

~EdT.

[Bart]

Yeah, this sounds about right. It's a bit mind-boggling for me to think that Tiffany, Fabio and Mike are scraping the bottom... but then I realize that there's nobody else out there. They certainly don't feel like they're treading water, you know?

I think that's a testament to the overall skill and competency level we've seen this season. Nobody's clearly having a painful, slow death at this point. Tiffany and Fabio had great dishes in the elimination challenge - they got top nods, and yet they're at the bottom.

Again I agree with their placements but the whole thing just feels odd to me ;-)

[Independent George]

I know we've mentioned it before, but Season 4 is really dominating, isn't it?

[aaalex]

"Plus, anybody who knocks the simplicity of Antonia's mussels but doesn't apply the same scorn to Fabio's chicken is, I think, applying that standard rather selectively."

yeah, okay, a cacciatora is not rocket science, but what seemed to do it for him wasn't the chicken but the polenta and THAT - in order to make it as well as fabio did - is a tricky thing indeed. (bourdain's description, re the polenta, is very expressive on this score.) having had more bad polenta in my life than bad risotto - and, yes, i've eaten risotto in italy and, no, it wasn't inevitably soupy - it took some convincing that the polenta was THAT good.

even if you take the polenta away from fabio, though, are you really saying a chicken that, according to tom, "falls off the bone but isn't mushy" is as easy to do as steamed mussels? you're propping antonia up, here. she made an extremely simple dish - it was certainly simpler than fabio's - but it won because it PERFECTLY met the criteria set for the challenge. that's both good and honourable, but it doesn't make her dish more complex than fabio's dish by any stretch of the imagination.

[aaalex]

ps: i agree. the koala bear moment was among the funniest ever. just think: this episode - for me a fairly weak one - produced two great moments involving animals: koalas AND "crocadiles".

[mncharm]

aaalex - completely agree. That QF featured some of the funniest moments on Top Chef history.

[Biebs]

2 Comments.

1. One is about Season 4. So far they have taken 6 of 13 Quickfire wins (4 for episode 1, 4 for episode 3) and 4 of 8 elimination wins. That's an impressive run for the season.

2. Was it me, or were all the chefs unenthusiastic about the quickfire. The look on Richard's face seemed to be more apologetic than anything else. Like it didn't count. I get the feeling that none of the chefs particularly liked the challenge. Good thing Mike from season 1 wasn't on, maybe he'd improve upon his phallic cheetos

[Biebs]

Follow up to my own comment.

It's really 5/10 wins in quickfire, the 1st quickfire was season vs. season, so I should give them 1/1 (for some unknown reason, I gave 3/4)

[Bart]

omg Justin Bieber is posting on Skillet Doux!

:)

[Skillet Doux]

"even if you take the polenta away from fabio, though, are you really saying a chicken that, according to tom, 'falls off the bone but isn't mushy' is as easy to do as steamed mussels?"

Yeah, I am, though I realize this is a matter of opinion. For me, braised chicken is one of those things that makes me feel like I'm getting away with something because there's nothing to it. To me, they're both really, really simple, foolproof dishes. Which isn't to say people don't screw them up.

[timothy]

I am sad to report that I have screwed up polenta, braised chicken, and steamed mussels at various times. My rule as an eater and as a Top Chef viewer: if it's really good food, the cook gets credit for making it. No matter how hard someone else thinks it is to make.

[Skillet Doux]

Timothy... sorry, I don't mean that as a shot at those who have screwed up the aforementioned dishes :-) Though relatively easy, they all have their tricks. And lord knows I've completely bombed my share of simple dishes. On the Top Chef scale, however, even if not exactly the same, I think they're a pretty similar degree of difficulty.

[Anon Man]

As a nit, isn't something that is "foolproof" and something that can be screwed up diametrically opposed to each other? I think what you are trying to say is that braised chicken doesn't take perfect timing or skilled technique, and there's a huge swath of time between raw and terrible mush, so its distinguishing it from say a roast chicken, which while also easy technically has a relatively small window of done time between raw and dry.

"Foolproof" might be a salume misto.

Otherwise a decent summary. On the antipasti, I think the critique of Tiffany's dish is fine that it isn't traditional, but it seemed pretty tasty which goes a long way. Tom has said in other challenges that success doesn't mean a perfect rendition of a classic (see, Chinese challenge), but working within that confines of that challenge. Also, as an Italian I understand your annoyance that none of the antipasti was cold, given that its a cooking show and they aren't wroking in teams, who's going to take that risk? Now, by cold, I'm assuming you don't mean a plate of meats and cheeses which while great, isn't likely to get you a win unless you made said meats and cheeses, which exceeds the time limit. I googled Rao's and as best I can tell from their limited online presence, cold dishes include seafood salad, which might have been a good choice if good seafood was available.

[Skillet Doux]

Anon Man... You're right, I use "foolproof" too loosely there. And what I said about Tiffany's dish wasn't meant at all to be a criticism. Just an observation.

[Bill G]

"For me, braised chicken is one of those things that makes me feel like I'm getting away with something because there's nothing to it"

Agreed, I often make Poulet Basquaise from Bourdain's Les Halles cookbook for company and people absolutely love it. I sometimes feel guilty because it's so simple to make but if it makes a kitchen hack like me look good in front of a crowd I'll let them assume the delicious flavors and the fancy French title are indicative of my skills.

[matthew]

I'd say the rankings just about match mine, though I have have a cop-out tie a third between Angelo, Antonia and Carla, with Mike a very close 6th.

[matthew]

Ugh! Typos are my nemesis today.

[KinderJ]

I made a caponata last friday. Most difficult thing was all the chopping. The people eating it though I was some sort of food Jedi. Horses for courses...

[Alamos Road]

Just a few mid-season observations:

Both Angelo and Tiffany look exhausted - physically, mentally, and (at least Tiffany) emotionally. I cannot begin to imagine the effort required to do even one season of Top Chef, much less two seasons back-to-back without a break. And Tiffany is a newlywed. But Angelo had a similar slump in Season 7, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he rallies at the end.

I liked Richard in Season 4 and would have been happy to see him win. But he really, really irritated me with his statement in Episode 1 of this season that "most people remember my season for me losing it." No, Richard, you remember your season for you losing it. Most people remember "your" season for Stephanie winning, not only the title but fan favorite, and for going on to open and run a restaurant that, judging by the Chicago business press, is by far the most successful venture of any Top Chef winner or contestant.

@aaalex: This is a game show, and "PERFECTLY [meeting] the criteria set for the challenge" is not just "good and honourable [sic]" but precisely how one wins. We've seen many a "more complex" dish fall by the wayside, either for failure to meet the challenge's criteria or simply not tasting very (or even as) good.

@Bart: I think Tiffany has felt like she was "treading water" before the games began. In Episode 1, she said she was "just happy to be among the chosen." Compare and contrast with, e.g., Richard, Dale, et al. ("I came back to win", "I want to win", etc.).

[Anon Man]

@Alamos, well in defense of Richard, I remmeber that he got up at JT and said "I blew it". He might have done everything perfectly and not won anyway, but his admission was very memorable. I don't he necessarily meant that as a swipe at Stephanie. Especially, when compared to his "bronze medal" comment he sent Lisa's way, which was clearly an insult.

[bryanD]

I don't have any idea what a "cellphone shootout" is, but if it means a QF accomplished "live" and outside of the editorium, I'm all fer it.

We are also well overdue for a Shocking Upset.

So, we have that going for us!

[Alamos Road]

@AnonMan: Understood. I have nothing against Richard or his honest and honorable assessment of his performance in the Season 4 finale. But I think Richard -- like every other contestant, to be fair -- has come to believe his "own press", meaning that the people he meets and hears from tell him that they think he should have won, so he thinks everyone thinks he should have won. If I met Richard, I'm sure I would say something nice to him along those lines. If I met Stephanie, ditto. These contestants have become minor celebrities with fan followings, and I only wish they could all be as mature, grounded, modest and self-aware as, say, Carla. (Hi, Matthew!)

[dave_p]

Dom,

I'm going to also (rarely) disagree with you about the respective levels of difficulty of the Cacciatore and the mussels. As aaalex pointed out, there was also the polenta Fabio made, but Antonia made garlic bread too, I guess. Still, dish to dish, yes Cacciatore is a ridiculously simple dish too, but not to the degree of the mussels. I could quite easily teach any random 10 year old how to make that dish in about 5 minutes. I couldn't do that w/Cacciatore, which at least requires some other basic cooking skills. Simple for a TC contestant? Sure. There's still *some* technique involved, that I feel is utterly lacking in the mussels.

The skills necessary for good mussels are selecting fresh (alive) mussels, making sure they're clean, and picking your herbs. That's it. Oh, and making sure they don't overcook--I guess that's a bit of technique. The broth makes itself, mostly from the juices of the mussels. Add some combination of wine, butter, garlic, herbs, tomatoes, other random vegetables. Cover & heat. Done. The only way I can conceive of screwing this up is either selecting bad mussels or overcooking them. I guess you can choose bad/clashing herbs & aromatics, but if you go w/the "less is more" approach, it's hard to screw this up too.

Cacciatore, as simple as it is, still requires more layers of cooking & timing. You cook the meat. You make the sauce. You cook the meat in the sauce some more. More places to screw up, and I'd posit you can do more with the sauce here than you can w/the broth to "elevate" the dish.

So yes, I'm splitting hairs bet. two dishes on the far end of the easiness spectrum, but I really think mussels is about as hard to screw up as a PB&J (or BLT as in my previous post). And about as tasty too, so really no surprise that it was a hit.

Oh, and as much as I detested the QF, I agree that Carla's was the most appealing dish. In fact, hers was the only dish that made me think, 'wow, that's a beautiful dish of food.' That Richard's won sorta validates how awful a challenge it was--I know which dish I was more tempted to eat as a result of its appearance.

--
Dave

[Kyle]

I'm not much of a cook, but I'm going to jump into this mussels vs. cacciatore conversation anyway. To a certain extent, this challenge reminded me of last year's room service challenge. I say that because at the beginning of the episode, I thought the chefs that chose the meat course had the opportunity to run away with the win and the top mentions. You can do a lot with antipasti, but I felt like each course further you get into the meal, the more opportunity the chef has to impress and shine. On the flipside, the more chance there is to screw something up.. I was glad to see the people from the first round make it into the top, because I thought the meat guys would be a shoe-in if they didn't mess up.

It's a big difference from last year's episode where people who cooked the top breakfast dish, even if they were considered for the win, didn't have a chance against the meat courses.

[redpoint]

I've eaten a lot of mussels in my day. Some have been amazingly good to the point of transcendent (as I said before, I'm part Belgian), some have been fine, some have been inedible. Quality aside, I think there must be talent involved in making something as astonishingly delicious as these mussels, and Antonia's efforts should not be diminished.

Alamos Road: I feel exactly as you do about Richard and the first episode comment. And I think he's a strong contender for the win, but it could go, deservedly, to Dale or Angelo or Antonia or Carla as well. And I think I'd rather eat their food than his.

[vizoroo]

Dave said, "Oh, and as much as I detested the QF, I agree that Carla's was the most appealing dish. In fact, hers was the only dish that made me think, 'wow, that's a beautiful dish of food."
I agree, Carla's was the most beautiful, but the one I wanted to sample was Richard's. It just sounded and looked good.

Personally, I'm not a fan of mussels, but clams are a fave. Would Antonia's dish work with that substitution?

[matthew]

@bryanD - Check out the clips of Gail Simmons on Jimmy Fallon the other day. He explained the cellphone shootout. Even though it's in the public domain, I won't share it here.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/213761/late-night-with-jimmy-fallon-gail-simmons-part-1

http://www.hulu.com/watch/213762/late-night-with-jimmy-fallon-gail-simmons-part-2

As for the thing about Richard. I can understand both sides. Personally, I think Richard is just a super analytical kind of guy. Add to that, he appears to be a very hard worker, and someone who respects others who do the same. Perhaps, by extension, he doesn't respect those who he feel don't push themselves (read: his comment to Jamie). Honestly, I find myself concerned about him more as an individual than as a contestant. It's almost as he pushes himself to the brink. I am very much the same way, but have learned to take my foot of the accelerator, or at least find the brake pedal. I know a lot of intense people, though, and admire their focus and passion -- even if it requires a few finger snaps to get their attention.

I think some of the differences you see with the chefs' personality has a lot to do with life experience and maturity. Carla is 46, and has gone through a lot of the things other contestants are struggling with in their lives. Interestingly enough, and on the flip side, while Carla is older than a number of the chefs she's competing against, she has less hands-on time in the kitchen -- particularly on the line. Carla didn't go to culinary school until she was 30, whereas a most of the other chefs on the show, now in their mid-30s, have been banging in kitchens nonstop since they were 18 or 20. I know Carla admires the skills of a lot of the chefs she's met, on the show and elsewhere, and will openly admit that she has learned from them.

I think Alamos Road (Hey there!) brings up an interesting point about Tiffany and Angelo. Both do seem to be weighed down by fatigue. I have been talking to Carla about coming up for air, because it feels like she's been going non-stop since she was on TC: New York. I can only imagine the mental and physical toll this run has taken on Angelo and Tiffany. Particularly Tiffany, who got married in the midst of all this.

[matthew]

What I meant about "sharing it here" was the explanation of the cellphone shootout, not the links to the videos. Ugh! I need to back away from the keyboard. :-D

[Elf Bait]

**Spoiler Alert**

I allowed the Magical Elves to shoot the finale of Top Chef in my small apartment kitchen last night. Fabio won with an amazing stack of Italian pancakes. They seemed really simple but were super tasty!

[paula]

Matthew, that's a great point about age and attitude. A healthier perspective on work/life/playing well with others is one of the (very few) things I appreciate about having hit my 40s. I frequently wish I could reach back in time and shake my twentysomething self by the shoulders and scream: Chill the hell out! And get over yourself!

If I were Carla, I'd be fighting the urge to do that with the other TC contestants every day.

[Brian]

Darn, I was really hoping Richard would win the whole thing without ever being ranked first. But I also wanted that for Boise State or TCU.

Quick brag because I'm sure this won't last:

Of the 8 chefs left, 7 were in the top 9 of my preseason rankings (found near the end of the off-season discussion thread) including all of my top 5. Only outliers are Fabio (9) and Mike Isabella (17); only people I missed on were Jennifer (6) and Tiffani (7). Of course, the numbers I crunched also predicted a Blais/Antonia/Tiffany final, which I'm only feeling 2/3rds good about right now.

[Danny]

I guess I just don't see Richard as #1. I have yet to be blown away by him in the way that I used to be. Dale is one of my least favorite contestants but I am sad to say that I would rank him higher than Richard. Also not sure that I'd put Antonia above Carla.

I can only say that I have had many more bad mussel dishes than I have had bad chicken.

[Alamos Road]

Matthew, I can understand Carla, Richard, and all the contestants having a sense of urgency about using the Top Chef spotlight to best advantage while it lasts. Kind of the "keep playing while you've got a hot hand" mentality. I've commented before on my concern that Richard has convinced himself he has to win this thing; one of the things I enjoyed most about Tiffani Faison this season was the fact that she had managed to grow beyond that. (Still disappointed she didn't make a better showing with her food.)

[ally]

Do I give the judges too much credit? It seems to me that if they judges all agree that Antonia's dish was the most delicious dish (and was consistent with the challenge - it wasn't a pea puree), that they all would love to eat again, shouldn't it win, regardless of simplicity? Should a less delicious, more complicated dish win? The judges don't seem to think so. When would a less delicious dish win?

[Bill G]

Agree with ally - best tasting dish wins.
Agree with Danny - I've had more bad steamed mussels than bad chicken dishes.

[Bart]

Well, to be fair, there's way more versions of a dish where chicken is the star versus a dish where the mussel is the star. And with those chicken dishes, it's easier to hide the flaws (great sauce, crispy skin, good sides, whatever).

Note that I said dishes in which the main ingredient is the star. So that basically eliminates dishes like jambalaya (since the mussel is a component rather than the leading element).

I think I'm going to make chicken for dinner. Damn it. This blog always makes me hungry.

[Ramodres]

Here is my recommendation for an All Time Power Ranking (Seasons 1 through 8, top 11)

1. Michael Voltaggio
2. Kevin Gillespie
3. Richard Blais
4. Bryan Voltaggio
5. Hung Huynh
6. Stephanie Izard
7. Stefan Richter
8. Harold Dieterle
9. Angelo Sosa
10. Dale Talde
11. Jennifer Carroll

[TDub]

To add onto Matthew's point about Richard, it seems to me that his "I should've won" remark is more or less his mission statement for the season. He should've won, so he's going to win. I worry for him: this kind of pressure is unhealthy, but it's also unsustainable.

As far as Richard's personality goes, I look to the other chefs to decide. (Magical Elves are not so trustworthy.) It seems that the other chefs not only like Richard, but they also want to work with him. Contrast that with Angelo, who in many ways stacks up favorably with Richard (i.e., performance in their seasons, wins, etc.). The other chefs don't seem nearly as eager to jump onto that train.

Sure, Richard has a bit of an ego. However, I think all of the chefs (with the exception of the ever-humble Carla) have an ego. I'm not sure it's Richard buying into the hype about himself as much as he's always thought he lost his season more than Stephanie won it. I am a Richard fan, and, for me, this chest-beating statement doesn't make me think less of him for it.

[foodiewannabe]

Since the line up for this season was announced I have wondered what the original "wish list" was. Brian Voltaggio and Kevin Gillespie publicly stated that they were asked but declined. It would seem that the cast would have been the top 2 or 3 finalists (Stefan, Ed Cotton) from each season (sans winner) so I am assuming that barring the "personality/character" factor wanted by the Elves (Spike), several folks, in addition to Brian and Kevin opted out. That being said, some of the best; Jen C, Tiffani and Casey are out and weaker chefs are still around. Go figure.

[Jse91]

Bart, where in the hell did you have jambalya with mussels?

[juli]

Oh! My! God! The Jimmy Fallon Episode!!!

[Beatrice]

Did anyone else see this photo and think "Calvin and Hobbes"?

[Maria]

Beatrice, that's EXACTLY what I thought. Glad someone else did too. Love it.

[ally]

To be honest I'm sick of the more casual food/family style food/food served out of a moving van and would like to see some fine dining.