Top Chef - S9E16 Postmortem

Well, that's better.

Due to a wee vegetable peeler mishap, typing is somewhat less enjoyable than usual, so I'm going to keep this short and save it for Monday. But I'll say that I'm pleased with the finale matchup. I had Paul and Sarah 1-2 in the preseason, and every episode since E5. Whatever you think of her, Sarah's a helluva chef and she didn't stumble her way into the finale... she earned it.

That said, I hope Paul smokes her.

Discuss.

Comments

[garik16]

I swear I hate you Elvish editors. I could swear Lindsey was going on because she had little of this episode's drama at all (it was all about foreshadowing Paul going home with Sarah triumphing) and the edits made it look like all 3 dishes were liked roughly equal.

Except then you read Tom's blog, and apparently Paul was never in danger and Lindsey was clearly inferior. GAH!

[Independent George]

Well? Is it worth watching?

I usually try to avoid spoilers, but I was so completely demoralized last week that I just didn't care to watch.

[Anon Man]

Based on the edit and spidery sense I call Sarah as the season winner, also, bs on editing for taking Sarah out as the middle and the eliminating Lindsay and naming Paul winner. Lame.

[garik16]

@IG - Well I just spoiled the ep for you with my first comment, but the challenges are fair.

[Kathy from Austin]

IG, it is worth watching to see who wins, IMO. I was very demoralized last week as well.

But could the elves have been more sneaky about the win? Jeez. They announced that Sarah was going on to the finale and to the untrained eye, made it appear that Lindsey and Paul were in the bottom. Then they awarded Paul the winner's prize. I suspect they're trying in earnest to have a competitive finale.

I think Paul's over seasoning with the Thai chiles in the quickfire may have cost him a clear elimination win. He seemed to have second guessed himself.

If he had been eliminated, it would have ruined an already rocky season for me. Now I look forward to the finale. I think both Sarah (as bitchy as she is) and Paul have talent and I will stay tuned to see who wins.

[Alex]

I hate the fact that Sarah will be on my TV again next week. Tired of her personality and her food. Can't believe Tom kept defending her for that horrid looking frozen poop log she put on top of her pasta. Lindsey's dish must have been worse than they led-on for her to get eliminated. I'm not going to say Sarah winning would be as bad as Hosea, but it would probably be a close second for me.

[Beth]

If there was ever any doubt that the elves control this shitshow. From Twitter:

@TomColicchio: Arugula is what happens when you really don't have anything negative to say

[doktarr]

SPOILER FREE:

Much better episode. Really cool quickfire, and while it was a catering challenge, they weren't set up to fail. My will to live was not sapped.

SPOILER:

I thought it was reasonably clear that she was in second place when they announced Sarah was going to the finale. The lack of mention of the prize gave it away.

[Kathy from Austin]

@Alex: I was thinking the same thing re: Hosea. But really, I believe Sarah deserves to be on the top with Paul. After all, who else? This is a season where one chef dominated convincingly. It also happened to be a chef that was classy and a team player who the viewers liked a lot.

So we are left with few alternatives other than to root for the dude who is an awesome chef, a good guy, etc. OR the gal who has been a erstwhile bully and frankly, a good chef as well. Sarah is no Hosea.

That said, I feel your pain especially coming from Austin. Go Paul!

[Independent George]

I guess I'll watch the episode, then, but I just can't bring myself to do it quite yet. I'll join in with comments tomorrow.

Whatever problems one might have with her TV persona, Sarah is the EC of a Michelin-starred restaurant and the protege of one of the greats. I've eaten there, and it's astonishingly good. I'm rooting for Paul, but Sarah is undeniably a talented and accomplished chef; if she wins, she will have earned it.

[Alex]

Quick side note for my above comment -please note that I am not comparing Sarah's competence or abilities to those of Hosea. She has earned her way into the finale as did he. I was simply putting it up there in terms of disliking the winner.

[garik16]

The Hosea comparison bothers me because I don't think Stefan was anywhere near as dominant as Paul has been this season.

Okay time to go WAY in depth - let's look at the TC elimination resumes of each of the Finalists before the final challenge:

TC 1:
Harold: 1 Win, 4 Highs, 2 Lows
Tiffani: 2 Wins, 3 Highs, 3 Lows
OTHERS WITH MULTIPLE WINS: Dave (3 Wins, 4 Lows), Miguel (2 Wins, 3 Lows)
WINNER: Harold

TC 2:
Ilan: 2 Wins, 2 Highs, 3 Lows
Marcel: 3 Highs, 4 Lows
OTHERS WITH MULTIPLE WINS: Elia (2 Wins, 2 Highs, 4 Lows), Betty (2 Wins, 4 Highs, 2 Lows)
WINNER: Ilan

TC 3:
Hung: 1 Win, 5 Highs, 3 Lows
Dale: 1 Win, 4 Wins, 4 Lows
Casey: 2 Wins, 2 highs, 4 Lows
OTHERS: Howie (2 Wins, 1 High, 6 Lows), Tre (3 Wins, 2 Lows)
WINNER: Hung

TC 4:
Stephanie: 4 Wins, 5 Highs, 3 Lows
Richard: 4 Wins, 3 Highs, 1 Low
Lisa: 1 Win, 1 High, 6 Lows
OTHERS: Dale (3 Wins, 2 Highs, 1 Low), Antonia (1 Win, 6 Highs, 3 Lows)
WINNER: Stephanie

TC 5:
Hosea: 2 Wins, 2 Highs, 4 Lows
Stefan: 4 Wins, 2 Highs, 3 Lows
Carla: 3 Wins, 3 Highs, 3 Lows
OTHERS: Fabio (2 Wins, 4 Highs, 2 Lows), Jamie (2 Wins, 3 Highs, 2 Lows)
WINNER: Hosea

TC 6:
Michael V: 3 Wins, 6 Highs, 1 Low
Brian V: 4 Wins, 4 Highs, 0 Lows
Kevin: 5 Wins, 3 Highs, 1 Low
OTHERS: Jen C: (1 Win, 3 Highs, 3 Lows)
WINNER: Michael Volt.

TC 7:
Kevin: 1 Win, 3 Highs, 5 Losses
Ed: 3 Wins, 3 Highs, 2 Losses
Angelo: 2 Wins, 2 Highs, 2 Lows
OTHERS: Kelly (2 Wins, 3 Highs, 3 Lows), Tiffany (2 Wins, 5 Highs)
WINNER: Kevin

TC 8:
Richard: 4 Wins, 4 Highs, 1 Low
Mike I: 2 Wins, 2 Highs, 3 Lows
OTHERS: Antonia: (2 Wins, 5 Highs, 4 Lows), Carla, (3 Wins, 2 Highs, 4 Lows), Dale T. (3 Wins, 2 Highs, 3 Lows), Angelo (2 Wins, 4 Highs, 2 Lows)
WINNER: Richard

TC 9:
Paul: 7 Win, 1 Low
Sarah: 1 Win, 3 Highs, 4 Lows
Lindsey: 3 Wins, 3 Highs, 3 Lows
Beverley: 2 Wins, 2 Highs, 3 Lows
Ed: 2 Wins, 2 Highs, 4 Lows
(Note there's been a TON of team challenges this season as you can really see with the wiki win/loss/in charts, way too many multiple winners)

Long story short, we felt like at the time that Stefan was the best, or that Carla was the best at the time. But well, Stefan dominated the start (though Jaime won a bunch) and Carla the end - neither really dominated throughout. Several other seasons had a few contestants (the Four Horsemen, Stephanie/Richard, etc.) dominate all the rest, but NEVER has there been a season like this one where one contestant has CLEARLY dominated EVERYONE ELSE.

This would be beyond Hosea. This would be insane.

[garik16]

FTR: I missed that Paul was declared the winner the first time watching the episode as I turned it off after the PPYKAG. Never seen them announce a prize AFTER that.

[Beth]

I agree. Sarah beating Paul at this stage would be beyond Illan. Beyond Sbraga. Beyond the dreaded Hosea. Certainly beyond Hung. Not because she's a mediocre chef (because she's not, however deplorable I find her in general), but because Paul is so clearly Top Chef in every sense of the term. I have clear and obvious homerism (i'm from Austn and Uchiko was my favorite restaurant hands down before casting was announced) but Paul has proven to be my favorite type of reality competitor - creative, consistently masterful, humble, professional, and a clear team leader. As a Texan and a Top Chef fan I've taken a lot of umbrage with the way the show has presented the food culture here, but Paul has been such a strong representative that I've had fun rooting for him despite the embarrassment of the season as a whole. I hope he wins, but even if he doesn't he has secured his already ascendant career with his performance on the show. Sarah may win (and I shouldn't complain because I've been hoping for a female winner for a number of seasons now), but if she does I take solace in the fact that Paul Qui will have absolutely no trouble securing investors and diners in the future.

I don't worry about Paul, but as a serious fan of Top Chef I really hope he wins for the sake of the franchise. The show needs him more than he needs the show right now.

[Duffy]

Can the Elves resist bringing Bev and Lindsay back for the finale as sous, with Paul picking first because he won the semi, meaning Sarah will wind up with???

Would Paul be a true sport and pick Bev so Sarah could work with her buddy Lindsay?

[lamelama22]

garik16,

I do like and appreciate all the stats you compiled there (since it's what I like to do :) ), but unfortunately, they're not all there and some little details / asterisks apply to some of the comparisons that somewhat voids the conclusion.

Oh, and Paul has 8 wins before the final challenge, not 7. :)

First, you didn't include the quickfire wins. Paul won 2, but Stefan won 4, and had 3 double wins (which up to that point in Top Chef history there had only been 1 of, and he did it 3 times!) And he won 3 challenges in a row (I thought it was 4 from memory, but I was wrong). And he pulled this off at both the beginning and end of the season.

Second - this is the big difference for me: 3 of his 4 elimination wins were individual challenges, and almost every challenge that entire season was an individual challenge. Contrast that with Paul, where 3 of his 8 were group wins, and another was in a group based challenge. I think we only had 1 individual challenge through the halfway point of the season... And the big difference - the gimmickry - the quality of the challenges for most of the season has been really poor compared to Season 5, over the entirety of the season. There has been nothing this season like trying to recreate Eric Ripert's food from memory or like in Season 3 where they had to do the same thing for a difference famous chef and Hung dominated.

Oh and an extra challenge this season... so gotta look at percentages not just W/L.

In Season 5, there was a sense, even by the other contestants in their interviews - especially Hosea - that they felt they weren't on the same level as Stefan and couldn't beat him... and his problem was he just stopped caring / thinking it was over - when he got to the finale, he just phoned it in and got edged out.

I mean... Hosea pulled the same BS that Ed did to get eliminated, using canned imitation crab meat in his dish, except he was making a crab salad - not just a sauce, and would've gotten eliminated too, if not for someone doing something worse. I think that the skill differential between the 2 david's and the 2 goliath's was just wider in Season 5... so I'm not sure which I would consider the biggest upset - but it's close.

Too bad Stefan isn't in this season :(

He would've done even better with all the catering challenges. I'm not sure the winner should get "Top Chef" this season; it should be "Top Caterer". :D

[paula]

I loved the idea of the QF...but not at the finale stage. The finalists were essentially charged with figuring out and executing someone else's dish. I know they did more than that ultimately, but listen to them during the judging and it's clear that each chef felt the success of the challenge was riding on how well they followed their Master's lead. That's just lame when we're down to the final three.

I am impressed with Sarah's cooking, but god, I hate watching her as a contestant. The way she loses it every!single!time! they bring out a person from the back or even announce a prize makes me wince. Seriously, last night, when they brought out the Masters, I got such a Buddy the Elf vibe from her I wanted to scream ("SANTA'S COMING! I KNOW HIM! SANTA!!!!")

[TokenOmnivore]

The thing I've been missing at the end of this season is (besides Paul) a feel of the chef's personality on the plate. In seasons past, if you put down plates from each of the final chefs I could pretty well pick what dish was from what chef. And while I may not have been fans of the chefs in Season 7, at least I'd be able to distinguish between a plate from Ed or Kevin or Angelo.

Put down two plates between Sarah and Lindsey and it would be hard for me to tell which is which. Ok, maybe that's not completely fair. But while I think Paul's learned a lot from Tyson Cole, he's taken it and is now doing his own thing. While Sarah and Lindsey may be putting out great food, it still feels to me like an echo of their mentors instead of their own voice.

While Ed, Beverly, and even Grayson may have stumbled technically and/or conceptually, they seemed to have much clearer expressions of themselves in their food.

If Paul had gone home, I would have skipped the finale.

My fingers are crossed for Paul. Even with his win last night I don't think he's invincible.

We finally got to Uchiko (Paul's restaurant) this last weekend. Damn that's some good food! And happy, informative servers. "When I eat this dish, this is how I like to do it...". Hmm, might have to think about a food service career if I could eat that food more often.

[Anon Man]

I actually thought the QF was cool. A high end version of the team challenge from a few seasons ago where they couldn't look or talk. With only two people, it's obviously easier, but I thought it was neat.

Paul's confessionals had a lot of doubt. Uncertainty, the inability to edit, etc., all the stuff that he did so well in Texas (confidence, restraint) seemed lacking in his discussion of his cooking. Not a good sign.

[Mary]

"Put down two plates between Sarah and Lindsey and it would be hard for me to tell which is which."

You could tell. Sarah's would have some sort of pasta and Lindsey's would have halibut, cooked the right way. ;-)

I agree with Paula -- Sarah's exuberance is grating.

I was ready to throw my slipper at the TV if Paul went home. I particularly appreciated how he took leadership and got the staff set up before the cocktail party.

[garik16]

lamelame, Paul only has 8 if you count last week's ice chopping block as a win. Given that he didn't really win the challenge (I consider Lindsey as having come in first), I didn't count it.

[Alamos Road]

Interesting comment (slip?) from Tom C: "I know who I want to see in the finale." Not the usual "it's only about the dishes in front of us right now." As soon as he said that, you knew that Lindsay was a goner.

[Beth]

The extended judges table clip at Bravo.com is, as usual, more informative than the episode itself.

The decision between Sarah and Lindsay seemed to come down to a question of concept rather than one of execution. Weren't we just saying that the judging has recently seemed to favor technical execution over creativity? Not in this case it seems.

They found Sarah's dish to be more creative and on-point thematically while Lindsay played it too safe - her halibut had no real heat and the remoulade was not cold. They felt that the tomato granita, while tasty, was a separate component and not part of the dish. They also hated her cocktail in and of itself - it sounded like it didn't taste good at all and at the end of the day was just a (sub)standard bloody mary.

Interestingly, they seemed to have more difficulty with Sarah's hot element than with that frozen block of mousse. The canneloni was neither piping hot nor did the roasted chiles she incorporated have any significant spice.

So Lindsey executed a yawner of a dish fairly well, while Sarah failed on several technical levels but her creativity (and I think the overall taste of the dish) was judged to be stronger. As a viewer I tend to favor contestants that display ambition and creativity over perfect technique, so I guess I can't complain. Lindsay has bored me throughout the season anyway - I honestly can't remember a single dish she made other than those Applebees-looking zucchini beef boats. I can't say I'm particularly sorry to see her go even though I really don't want Sarah on my TV for another week.

[Pepperjack]

I secretly wanted Paul to get eliminated so I could skip the final episode copmletely.

[paula]

Alamos Road: Yes! I noticed that too, and that's when I knew for sure Paul was safe.

[ally]

Count me amongst those wishing this was the last episode so I would never have to watch Sarah ever again.

Even though it's inconsistent with the judging all season,
I'm glad they eliminated Lindsay for lack of creativity. Seems odd that Gail seemed to be pushing so hard for Lindsay's dish, I think she would have kept Lindsay in because "she didn't make any mistakes".

However, how difficult would it be to put that tray of frozen sauce in the oven to soften the bricks up a bit? The whole concept wasn't good, because pasta has such a low heat capacity, so doesn't retain it's heat like a piece of meat does, and it isn't going to melt a brick of frozen sauce, even if it wasn't over-frozen. She could have shaved those bricks, or made a "snow" of them or something, once she realized how hard they were. She just doesn't seem to have any instinct for doing anything that isn't pretty traditional italian, technique-wise and seasoning-wise. I'm not really one that has been impressed at all by her creativity this season. She has maybe made some delicious looking italian food, but you can find delicious italian food pretty much anywhere.

I think Paul set the bar too high for Tom in the Mentors challenge by making a dish with exactly the right number of components, making complete. Now he's going to get crucified every time there's something in the dish that Tom doesn't understand.

New drinking game: you have to drink every time Tom says "arugula".

Also: do NOT watch the direction Padma's eyes if you don't want to know who wins. I'll say no more than that.

[ally]

meant to say "making a complete, perfect dish" not "making complete"

[Danielle]

I too decided to wait to watch this episode until you-all weighed in. So all I can say at this point is: I don't know what was up with the @BravoTopChef "name game" thing during the episode but it was so annoying I unfollowed the account. Really, it's the penultimate show and you can't find something more interesting to tweet?

[Skillet Doux]

"She just doesn't seem to have any instinct for doing anything that isn't pretty traditional italian, technique-wise and seasoning-wise."

FWIW, I strongly disagree. Even setting aside the non-Italian dishes, of which I think there were more than you remember, her food has been mostly Italian-inspired, but by no means stuck in that box, and very creative and refined even within that context. Let's look at her top-mentioned dishes:

Flash Fried Rattlesnake in a Brown Butter Sauce
The rattlesnake was the basis for the challenge, no points for getting outside the box there. The rest - tomato, capers, arugula, lemon, orange, thyme -- within the scope of Italian, but creative and refined.

Chili con Carne
Not really germane.

Grilled Roman-Style Artichokes with Date Purée
Grilled Roman-Style Artichokes? Yeah, traditional all the way. Dates and pecans, plated in so refined a fashion? Not so much. It's clearly Italian, but it strikes me as a very refined Italian that isn't married to tradition.

Burrata Stuffed Squash Blossom with Bacon and Zucchini Hash
The ingredients, Italian flavor profile all the way. Burrata-stuffed fried squash blossom, Italian techinque all the way. The hash is pushing it.

Pork Sausage Stuffed Cabbage and Spinach with Browned Butter
A really smart Italian/Eastern European fusion that got her a win.

Breakfast Raviolo, Pancetta and an Egg Yolk
Straight-up Italian.

Mozzarella Filled Arancino and Celery Salad
Arancino, straight up. Pureed caponata, traditional flavor, interesting spin. Celery salad... mmm, not sure how I feel about that one. Mostly traditional.

Fried Soft-Shell Crab with Cottage Cheese Sauce
She used an artichoke! Otherwise, not much specifically Italian about this one.

Corn Soup with Onion, Red Chili and Peaches
Not so much.

Braised Rabbit Leg and Heart, Cherries, Cabbage Puree and Hazelnut Sauce
Some of the flavors are Italian, but "cabbage kraut puree," and a presentation that's way more French than Italian?

Five Greens Filled Pasta with Garlic and Chili and Spiced Sformato; Cocktail: "Agrumi" (Gin, Kumquat and Mango)
The pasta, straight up. The rest... curry, mango, kumquat, antigriddle. Not so much.

Point being, of course her dishes are infused with Italian flavors and techniques. That's what she does. But I have a hard time understanding how anybody can look at this list and dismiss her as working within too small a box.

[ally]

Dom, you're the expert, so I bow to your wisdom.

However, several of the not straight-up italian dishes were the result of ingredients forced upon her in some way or another.

Maybe I have been to too many great italian restaurants where the dishes are refined and incorporate ingredients besides noodles and tomatoes, so I don't have a perspective. I mean, look at the restaurants you review - not many italian places there, at least recently. You've had way more experience with asian food, so maybe what Paul does seems not as creative to you. It just seems like there was a huge difference in creativity between Paul and the rest of anything I've ever eaten, and not a huge difference where Sarah is concerned.

[Pepperjack]

This is a bit of a tangent, but it relates so bear with me. I'm here DC/Maryland and we have a local pizza and cheesesteak place called Jerry's. They've had these corny radio ads forever (featuring the late Ken Ober) where they impersonate famous people, mostly politicans (it is DC after all). At the peak of Emeril-ness they had one spoofing him and at the end he's talking randomly about adding arugala (bam!). I was watching last night and Toms saying arugala over and over and they switch the camera over to Emeril and i'm thinking 'Emeril is going to be on board with the arugla!' And then I remembered the ads were complete fiction...

[Pepperjack]

erm. arugula.

[Skillet Doux]

Whoa, whoa... I didn't say anything about relative to Paul. The stuff that guy's doing is on another plane, as far as I'm concerend :-)

And you're right, what Sarah's doing is on par with great refined Italian restaurants. But I think you kind of made my case by implying that she's operating at that level right there. You seem to be suggesting that Italian-influenced = not very creative. I guess what I object to is the notion that one can't be extremely creative within that context. Creativity doesn't always have to mean global influences and flavors.

[Skillet Doux]

More to the point... if Sarah's level of creativity isn't to the level of a Top Chef champion, then I think we're getting a seriously skewed perspective of how wild and wacky food has to be to impress.

[ally]

Dom, if she wasn't operating at that level she wouldn't be one of the finalists on Top Chef! (at first I was going to say "if she wasn't operating at that level she wouldn't be on Top Chef" but we've seen some real doozies...)

And yes, I guess I was comparing her food too much to my own experiences and too much in comparison to Paul. But yes it doesn't have to be "global". Hell, put a raisin in where I don't expect it and I'm happy.

[ally]

..and also I was internally comparing her to Mike V and Richard...

[Skillet Doux]

Perhaps Paul (and Blais, and Mike V.) is the crux of it. He's pulling out stuff and I have absolutely no idea where it's coming from. I guess what I'm saying is that I hope being amazed by Paul's work doesn't get in the way of being really impressed with Sarah's work. And creativity isn't the be-all-end-all. Yeah, it's important to a point. You have to keep experienced diners interested. But after that point, all that matters is that it tastes amazing. And on that basis, I wouldn't be completely surprised if she takes Paul down. No question in my mind, it's Paul's to lose. But a lot of people seem to feel that he has to have a meltdown to blow this. And I think if Sarah rocks it out, he won't have to be that far off his best to make it a toss-up.

[ally]

...plus I just really don't like her. If I liked her maybe I would think she was one of the best chefs that's been on Top Chef. Who knows.

[Skillet Doux]

"...plus I just really don't like her. If I liked her maybe I would think she was one of the best chefs that's been on Top Chef. Who knows."

This, I suspect, is playing a large role. Which is completely understandable. I just know that I really want to eat that food. I don't care who's making it.

[ally]

...and that's why you write a food blog and I eat out maybe once a week if I'm lucky. :)

[Skillet Doux]

And ALL of this needs the massive caveat that neither of us have actually tasted a damn thing :-)

[ally]

LOL! Oh yeah, forgot about that!

[pdog]

I think it is interesting how Top Chef has shifted from Season One. In that Season, Harold was strong but Tiffani may have been stonger. However, in the final judging, they took into account the entire person as a chef, not just the food they cooked. That is why Harold won (and I think deservedly). Now, we get to hear Tom go on and on about it's all about the food. the judges haven't mentioned leadership qualities as a reason for winning Top Chef since Harold. Too bad, because if Paul gets edged out by Sarah for the food of the finale, that would be a shame. He has shown himself to be the complete package.

[Dreamboat]

In many ways Paul has already won. He has shown himself to be a very creative chef, he has shown himself to be a stand up guy, he has no doubt increased business at his restaurant, and he has already won close to $100K in cash and prizes. Not to shabby.

I want to see him win the whole thing, but if he has a bad day and Sarah has a good day then she can take it. But even if she does, Paul is still in winner.

[ZRD]

As I read this thread, I realized the dominant reason *I* keep liking Sarah is probably in large part because . . .

"neither of us have actually tasted a damn thing"

. . . doesn't apply to me; I was at her restaurant in Chicago a year ago or so, and it was, frankly, one of the best Italian meals I've ever had.

I ate alone, at the bar, because I was in town for a business trip and made a last minute decision to go, and service and food both still stick in my mind.

I like *watching* completely nuts creativity on TV, but for eating... it's more of a tossup.

[Kimberly]

I think the judges do take the personality of the chefs into consideration a little bit, at least. I seem to remember during the finale of the last season Tom saying something like "The word chef means boss" and watching how well the final chefs were able to utilize and manage their sous chefs.

[Bob]

Best line of the night was Tom C. to Paul (paraphrasing): "So, what happened in the Quickfire?" Clearly, this season is Paul's to lose at this point. I've said it before, the other judges are irrelevant - Tom called Lindsay's dish boring (halibut - seriously, for the "meal of your life?"), and he verbally excused the frozen turd on Sarah's. Elves possibly over-played the arugula "issue" with Paul's dish, but is Tom really going to send him home for a garnish? At least it was an edible garnish.

It's all up to what Tom thinks - and he loves Paul's cooking. I just hope Paul uses coconut in something in the final.

Preview has Tom saying it's the best food they've ever had in a final, which I took to mean both of them. A fairly stunning comment nine seasons - and many great chefs - in.

[ally]

Bob, Tom ALWAYS says it was the best food in the final ever.

[Anon Man]

Well, after the Masters challenge where Gail was in full swoon mode praising that dish, we want him to win, no? Most of us here are pretty well eaten, as are the judges and it takes a lot for them (or us) to be floored. He floored Gail.

On Sarah and Italy. Yes, she gets some points for doing some German-style dishes, but not full credit in my mind. Didn't she say that she had some German or Eastern European ancestery and that meals at home had German flare? I'm not saying she's throwing out mom's schntizel and calling it refined, just that it isn't, showing a huge range to cook elevated versions of the food you grew up eating. And, I say this, point blank, as a half-Italian who loves the way her food looks and cooks a ton of Italian inspired stuff myself. But I'm not a professional.

The only times she went outside that window while in Texas was 1) the challenges where the theme was clear (Mexican, for example) or 2) other, ingrediant limitation like the blind pantry. Now, I will say that I agree with you that the stuff she's done in Canada looks more diverse ethnically. Italian grounding, but not so limited.

[Independent George]

I find it amusing the way Sarah gets knocked for cooking Italian, but everybody (rightly) objects when an Asian specialist is knocked for cooking Asian.

Asia is a large place compared to Italy, but it's not like Italian food is homogenous.

[gilmore]

Finally watched the episode after reading the comments here.

I watched with a bad attitude and had to be in a room by myself. Was hoping that the chefs would be cooking shark.

Quickfire was good. Had to laugh when Sarah was worried that Floyd might cook with a wok. Great knowledge there. Like some of the above comments, I thought she was going to pee in her pants and leave a mess on the kitchen floor when the Masters were announced.

This is not Top Bartender. Why the drink pairing? Why not have a professional bartender help them with the drinks? At least it did not look like the drinks affected the outcome (Sarah vs. Lindsay). Glad Paul won.

How hard was it to watch people eating while wearing their winter jackets?

Everything Paul puts on a plate makes sense (in a Chuck Norris sort of way).

To paraphrase what Blais said many years ago, Paul's goose will be laying golden eggs for a long time, no matter how the final plays out.

[Anon Man]

@IG, yes, that's true. It's also why I didn't say "All she cooks is European." She's actually shown some range even within Italian food. It isn't like Fabio, who did a fairly literal Tuscan and sometime Roman style of Italian whenever he did Italian.

[lamelama22]

pdog,

I don't think that assessment is true at all. The final challenge coming up is basically restaurant wars but with the two remaining contestants filling the executive chef role, as opposed to whatever role on the line they felt like doing (and without a lot of the restrictions / gimmicks). It was last season (All-Stars) as well, and similar in most previous seasons, where the contestants had to manage former contestants over or celebrity chefs or whomever over a restaurant service as opposed to simply cooking a single dish, to test their skills as a chef and not just as a cook.

Although they still judge on the food, that's still a good test. If you're not expediting the food properly, it will be cold / possibly congealed or broken when it gets to table (every Restaurant Wars ep). If you don't collaborate at all with the sous-chefs you have or work to their talents and instead have a pre-planned menu - that can hurt the quality of the food (Isabella vs Blais) and conversely, if you don't act like a Chef and know when to hold your ground and what you know how to do, if something goes wrong you're not going to be able to fix it and the food will be bad (Carla). If you are a complete asshole, you're sous chefs might get fucking hammered & show up completely hungover / possibly still drunk (Tiffani)... and if you can't adapt to that situation (Tiffani - still doing a duo), again, the food is going to suffer.

So yea... a lot of the season doesn't test the range of their "Chef" skills necessarily, but the final challenge does, now as much as it ever did.

[Skillet Doux]

Incidentally, am I the only one who's had Pat Benetar going through his head all day?

[Independent George]

No, I can't say I was thinking of Pat Benetar. I did, however, harbor a secret hope that one of the chefs would have said, "I'm a huge fan of 'Song of Ice and Fire', so I thought I'd serve you a raw horse heart. No no no, put down the knife and fork - you're supposed eat it with your teeth." (WARNING: that link is not for the faint of heart).

[ally]

IG thanks for the warning because no way am i clicking on that.

lamelama22 what an awesome synopsis of the pitfalls in many TC finals. i feel bad that the personality stuff makes me forget about the dishes, but as many have pointed out, not so much food porn this season, more real housewives bogus drama stupid crap. now i'm gonna go watch last season's final, that was an interesting one.

Dom are you gonna tell us which song or not????

[Skillet Doux]

Fire and Ice!!!

[Alamos Road]

Gail Simmons' new book is a quick and somewhat entertaining read, and answers two questions: (1) What don't we get to see? A.: Kevin Gillespie's 20 minute soliloquy about his brisket at the Judge's Table at the Season 6 Finale (riveting according to the judges but "bad television" according to the producers); and (2) How can you get a gig like Gail's? A.: You can't.

[Vncntdl]

"I actually thought the QF was cool. A high end version of the team challenge from a few seasons ago where they couldn't look or talk. With only two people, it's obviously easier, but I thought it was neat"

I don't disagree, in general. But I just wish it were tied in better with the EC. At this point in the season, just pairing a random QF and EC doesn't seem like enough. The fact that they threw large wads of money at the contestants didn't make it better. I'm sure the contestants love having all these extras added to the competition but I wish it were done with a bit more finesse. It shouldn't just be about making it bigger (i.e., more glitzy, more vulgar) but better.

Oh, and Paul better win.

[nomnomnom]

Dom again taking the dishes out of context from the challenge in applying the regional cooking equivalency test I see.

When given the chance to cook with few restrictions Sarah goes to the boot. Period.

As to this episode does it seem odd that she wouldn't test out the plating of that brick?

[Skillet Doux]

Are you trying to pull a Reagan on me?! ("There you go again..." :-)

C'mon, Nom... out of the ones listed, aside from the couple where I specifically mentioned it, where did the challenge keep her from doing super traditional if she'd really wanted? She has everything she needs to do plain Jane Italian just in the pantry.

But even more importantly, do you really look at that list and say to yourself, "Yeah, that chef just doesn't look very creative"?

The main point I'm trying to make is that if Sarah had a personality like Stephanie Izard, I think the crowd would be falling over themselves talking about how wonderful her food looks rather than dismissing her creativity. Do you disagree?

[Bart]

The only finale I was really disappointed with was Hosea winning. That just left me feeling someone kicked me in the gonads.

Kevin Sbraga winning, I was actually satisfied with. He proved he could cook better than Angelo with that last dish. Michael Volt definitely deserved the win, though I was rooting for Kevin or Bryan Volt. Stefania beating Blais was a shocking upset, but give her props, she put out amazing dishes. And the rest - it's easy to see why they all won.

But, dammit, Hosea. I felt like I got a black eye just from watching him win.

[Bart]

Stefanie* not Stefania. I wish I could edit my posts (and then delete this one).

Anyhoo, if Sarah wins, it'll be a big upset but I won't be too crushed. I still think Paul deserves the Top Chef title.

[Bob]

Dom - one of the great things about your blog is how skillfully you remain "above it all" while the rest of us squabble like school children. No doubt it is hard to completely separate Sarah's countenance from her food for many viewers. The judges frequently comment on how they don't get a whiff of any of this drama until they see the episodes on Bravo(though this year, they clearly knew of the vitriol tossed Beverly's way.)

I think it'll be a great final. Will I be depressed if Sarah wins regardless of how well she cooks? Heck, yeah. Will it stop me from tuning in next season? Probably not. Would I like her more if whoever stole her upper lip kindly returned it? Um, maybe.

The thing that always amazes me about this show, however, is that the contestants seem to forget they're on national TV. I mean, come on people, who wants to go through life having everyone think you're a jerk? Can't help themselves? Or, as Jamie Lauren says, "getting the a-hole edit?" I dunno, but it's a mystery that they don't see this as the single greatest marketing opportunity of their lives, regardless of whether they win or not. Witness Colicchio's comment from the article referenced above that Bryan Voltaggio's (for those not in the know - that's the LOSING brother) restaurant is now booked solid, and prior to TC, was teetering on the brink.

Maybe Sarah out-cooks Paul like crazy in the final and wins it all, but if you had a choice of eating in either restaurant, whose would you pick?

[Gilmore]

"The main point I'm trying to make is that if Sarah had a personality like Stephanie Izard, I think the crowd would be falling over themselves talking about how wonderful her food looks rather than dismissing her creativity. Do you disagree?"

While I normally defer to Dom on Italian food, I have a hard time believing that anything Italian she has done (except for the ice berg) has been done before in her restaurant. Sarah does not strike me as wildly creative. If Sarah was not destined for the finals, that mistake should have sent her home.

Lindsay has left her restaurant (http://www.tvguide.com/News/Top-Chef-Lindsay-1043735.aspx) making the decision easy on who to send home as the Michele Bernstein link is no longer there.

[Nikki L]

Am I the only person who thought "20k prize for the quickfire? Paul has this in the bag!" It was weird to see someone else win money...

I did like the quickfire a lot though. It was like the blind relay except because they each got 2 turns, the Masters were given another chance to show the chefs what their vision was. It was great to hear the thought processes while they were figuring out what had been done.

[Skillet Doux]

Let me ask two questions that I hope make the point. Of course the implied contradictions don't represent everyone, but I think they capture the consensus.

If Sarah's food can be dismissed as just Italian, why shouldn't Beverly's food be dismissed as just Asian?

If Sarah is suspected of simply cooking Tony Mantuano's food, why shouldn't Paul be suspected or simply cooking Tyson Cole's food?

[ZRD]

Gilmore -- great link to the TV Guide article; really interesting read.

[MB in MD]

Dom, I think that the answer to your first question is that "Asian" food encompasses an entire continent with a zillion variations on culture, available ingredients, etc. Whereas Italy is just a single country - there are absolutely regional variations, but it's just not on the same scope. "Just cooking Italian food" is not the same as "just cooking European food."

Frankly, I don't fault either Sarah or Beverly for having what others may call a limited skill set. I wouldn't care if Sarah only produced Sicilian food, or Beverly only made Szechuan, as long as it is creative and skillfully prepared, and I think both chefs have done themselves proud in the creativity and culinary skill departments! If one wants to pick a particular cuisine that they enjoy and devote the time and effort needed to master that style of cooking, I say go for it!

[nomnomnom]

The only reason it is interesting in this season's context is the bev/sarah issue with her just sniping constantly (and in this episode again) about the homogeneity of the cooking style Bev put out. I would also think on a secondary level that Sarah cribs from her mentor far more heavily, and Bev freestyles a bit more (though we could be seeing the same degree of that from Paul).

It was also obvious to me that each of these three dishes they made were carefully crafted prior to the finale. Lindsay for sure wanted to cook Halibut again to continue the manufactured drama from restaurant wars.

I hate having tons of off-chefs come back to cook again in this context. The chance of getting Preeti-ed is just so high. Especially considering how poor this season was on many levels.

[Skillet Doux]

MB... Okay, you got me on that first one :-) I was stretching to try to use somebody from the current field. But what about Rick Bayless and Mexican? Nobu Matauhisa and Japanese (though to be fair, there's a lot of Peruvian in there as well)? Heck, what about Tony Mantuano and Italian? I'm a fervent supporter of MG and global influences, but sometimes I worry that this has created the idea that if you aren't using LN mixing three countries in a bowl, you just aren't that creative. I realize you and I are on the same page here, but a lot of folks aren't, I think.

Incidentally, the comparison to Tony Mantuano is great. If the suggestion is that Sarah is cribbing from Mantuano, and that Sarah's food isn't very creative, what does that suggest
about Mantuano? Is he not sufficiently creative to be a Top Chef winner? :-)

[Unhappy Gilmore]

nomnomnom - In the TV Guide interview, Lindsay said "Tom made a comment about that when we were in the kitchen — that I chose halibut because of what happened with Beverly and I was like, "Oh my God! I didn't even think about it!" I really didn't. I got to Whole Foods and I really wanted to use black cod, but they didn't have enough, so I went with halibut. I didn't do it out of spite. It was the only fish they had enough of for 150 people!"

Watched the Bravo videos and thank goodness the Toyota commercials are gone!!

For the finale, glad to see they are putting the spotlight on some Canadian Chefs.....Not.

[Libster]

I want to Congratulate Dom on his power rankings.

Preseason He had Paul #1 and Sarah #2 then Sarah went down to 7 and eventual ended up at #2 and stay there the rest of the time.

Great Job Dom!

[Kevin]

From Lindsey's interview:

"When I found out that we were going to Texas, which was just a few days before we went, I knew that there was going to be a lot of barbecue and chili type of challenges. I was surprised at how many group challenges we did. I did feel that a lot of the challenges were very physical, more so than in past seasons. Sometimes I felt like I was on Survivor."

I'm pretty surprised they were told the location less than a week before flying out. That certainly wouldn't be enough time to practice BBQ, chili, Mexican-inspired dishes, etc.

And good to see that the chefs agree with how ridiculous the challenges have been this season.

[TokenOmnivore]

Dom - Thanks for keeping it real about Sarah. After looking back on what she's done, just based on the food she's been doing well. It would have been easier for me to focus on her food if it wasn't for the drama. Instead, the dislike of the drama led me to ignore what she was putting out.

That said, the next time we can afford to go somewhere fancy when we're in Chicago, I'd rather spend my cash on Stephanie, Rick Bayless, Lula Cafe, or even Chuy. The fact that she works at Tony M's place makes it a hard decision, since I like what I've seen of Mr. M. [Props to him for having a place in his hometown of Kenosha, WI - awesome!.]

As for cooks just emulating their mentors, to be fair to Sarah I wouldn't have expected Tony M. to have done corn soup with peaches No diss on him, I just wouldn't have expected it, so props to her. On the flip side, the local Austin rumors include the fact that Paul was working hard between the regular season and the finals to have menus and new dishes planned for his absence during the finals. Don't know if he was working with Tyson and/or his own chef du cuisine. But it sounded like he was the lead.

And while I'm worried that Paul's nerves may be getting the better of him in the finals, if the crew at Uchiko is any indication he certainly knows how to lead a well-oiled team. While my sample size is small, Uchiko had about the best service I've experienced in the US. I'd expect him to do well in any leadership part of the finale.

As for the Elves giving folks just a week to prepare for TX, that explains why the chili and BBQ challenges weren't better. I don't expect the Elves to be reading this, but if you want to have folks put out good food it helps if they have a chance to do their homework first.

[Beth]

There have been numerous points in the season where Paul's kitchen leadership has been highlighted by the editing elves. The BBQ challenge where Lindsay and Grayson just fell into lockstep behind him. The "kitchen etiquette" discussion that everyone seems to feel was directed at Bev but I really think was for the benefit of the entire group. The uncomfortable but required peer voting session in the Game challenge. Even restaurant wars, where Paul blamed himself for not stepping in and taking more control - when it became clear that they were in trouble he was the one who stepped in to expedite. In this week's challenge I was momentarily confused when he immediately started giving directions to the servers - I thought he was just organizing his own crew but then realized he was giving marching orders for the entire service. And Sarah and Lindsay seemed perfectly happy to let him do it.

I have no doubt Sarah runs a tight ship. No way is she EC at Spiaggia without being a strong leader in her kitchen. But it was really notable throughout the season how naturally Paul seemed to step into the role without anyone else on the cast chafing against the unspoken pecking order. Certainly there was planning and discussions we weren't privy to, but if there was any real drama or displays of ego around the issue I'm sure we would have seen it.

Respect.

[pdog]

lamelama22-

I agree with you that the final challenge tests more than the taste of the food in many areas.

My point was simply that in Season 1, the other chefs were asked who they thought was "Top Chef" and most of them said Harold. I think that was because he had their respect in all areas. The judges considered that in their decision.
If that method were employed now, I think Paul would win, even if his food was slightly less tasty than Sarah's. Of course I base this on what we saw. Paul seemed to be the better leader compared to Sarah.

[Libster]

Slightly on and off topic I was just reading the James Beard Nominations and Edward Lee is nominated for Best Chef: Southeast, and Paul Qui is nominated for Best Chef: Southwest.

Spiaggia got some mentions as well as Chef Tony M.

Hugh is also listed for Best Chef: Southeast

Also quite a few Top Chef alumni on the list including.

Jeff McInnis
Kevin Gillespie
Stephanie Izard
Bryan Voltaggio

Funny because out of this list only one of them has become Top Chef. Maybe it is more about exposure than about the final prize. Although no doubt that prize money Stephanie won went to fund her restaurant.

[pdog]

@ Bart

I totally agree that the Hosea win was disappointing and kind of left a bad taste to the whole season.

I however don't agree with one part of your comment.
"Stefanie beating Blais was a shocking upset..."
I don't know why it always bothers me when people think her win was an upset. She had the most elimination wins in the regular season, and then Richard tied her in the penultimate episode in Puerto Rico. She was always a top contender from literally the first episode (which she won).
I probably feel more strongly that she won outright and not through an upset because I had eaten at her restaurant Scylla in Chicago numerous times before she was ever on "Top Chef" and loved food then. When she appeared on the show, I thought she had a great chance based on my experience. (her new place, Girl and the Goat is also impressive!)

[lou]

I don't like Sarah and I'm rooting for Paul to win, but have to defend her "iceberg." Gail, in her EW blog says the location was freezing and all the food got cold quickly, so the judges took that into account. There was also no prep area at the site where the chefs could keep their food warm. (I blame production for not taking that into account)

I have to wonder if under normal circumstances -- a room at regular temperatures -- her frozen piece would have easily melted. Of course, if it had been normal circumstances and the brick didn't melt....

Here's Gail's blog:
http://popwatch.ew.com/2012/02/23/top-chef-s9-ep16-gail-simmons-blog/

[Libster]

Lou you raise a good point. Some felt as if Sarah was blaming the reverse griddle but with the temps maybe it was getting cooler than it should have.

Going into the finales Lindsay just didn't elevate her dish enough and it wasn't even very in tune with the challenge. There is a problem when the most exciting part of your dish is a tomato water slushie. I just couldn't put someone in the finale that didn't seem to reach and go for it. She played it safe.

I feel like Sarah went for something and while there was an issue with it being frozen the dish still worked and was a creative spin.

To be Top Chef shouldn't just be about being able to execute a dish that you've made before, it's about pushing boundaries, and being creative.

Had Sarah's brick not been that frozen the dish would have worked well.

That said I think the outcome of this episode was correct. My idea for the finale is to watch the food and push out the past negativity of Sarah. Let's see what she's made of. Still I hope Paul wins.

[gilmore]

Here are my episode rankings for this season with some brief comments:

GOOD
1 - Evil Queen (great qf with the ingredients on the conveyor)
2 - Mentors (stupid qf with the blindfolds)
3 & 4 - Eliminations 1&2 (pure cooking and getting to know the chefs)
5 - Fire and Ice (hated the drink part - this is not Top Bartender)
6 - Tribute dinner (stupid qf with tweeting (judges filtered and chose what they wanted) plus Patti LaBelle - that says Texas to me)
7 - Restaurant Wars (they should not waste time with decorating. they had gotten away from this for a few years)
8 - Cooking Game although team aspect cost Nyesha (lame qf with the tequila pairing)

NOT GOOD
8 - Quinceanera (rattlesnake qf ok, not good because "inauthentic Mexican given as reason to go home - Corn vs. flour tortillas". Then Paul's chili should have sent him home (Glad it did not). Rick Bayless should have been there to give hints and tips.
9 - Block Party (good qf - prepping food)
10 - Cattle Baron's Steak cooking (good qf with mother sauces)

BAD
11 - Chili Cook Off - See Quinceanera - Paul's chili is not traditional Texas and he won (good qf with hot peppers)
12 - BBQ (so many did not seem to understand the difference between smoking vs. grilling, good qf with modernist cuisine)

HORRIBLE (Bravo should never show these episodes again)
13 - Dinner Party (twice as bad with Sheriff Buford T. Justice at the roadblock qf. Too bad no one served up a Diablo Sammich)
14 - Culinary Olympics - THE almost WORST EVER - Why were there no Asian ingredients in the kitchen for the final cook-off?
15 - Pee Wee's (OK qf with the pancakes, but Pee Wee was the judge)- Only one guest judge and and stunts vs. cooking were worse than the olympics.

[anne]

While I don't trust the elves on much, especially this season, I think it's a stretch to imply the eliminations are picked by things like which chef they work for. Jen working for Eric Ripert didn't stop them from sending her home. Anyway, the show was filmed awhile ago. But I don't think we have any evidence that the eliminations are driven by anything more than what's before us.

And, totally agreed on the HORRIBLE, and what should be done with them. Have there been that many HORRIBLE challenges in other seasons? Bad, yes, but HORRIBLE?

I'm still mad about the Olympics, for so many reasons, but particularly the thoughtless sexism of the ice block challenge.

[Tom Foolery]

Would have loved to see Lindsey in the final, if only because Sarah is such a grotesque human being. But me thinks Lindsey will do fine. She probably the second-hottest successful TC chef behind Casey and seems savvy enough to parlay that into something. Certainly she has a mentor who understands leverage (though her arrogance is off-putting to many; Lindsey seems well grounded).

Go Paul go.