Top Chef Season 4 Finale part 2
Spoilers below, as I discuss who won and who didn’t.
I found a lot of drama in the finale. I was surprised and impressed to see Lisa show us the chef she could be–not only getting along with her sous chef, but psyched to work with a pro, doing things she’d done badly before, but doing them well, like the prawns, the soup and the dessert, and overall having a sense of calm, and finally deserved sense of self confidence. She almost won; I don’t think ANYONE saw that coming .
I cry foul that they were required to do dessert. Dessert should always be extra credit for a chef.
I felt terrible for Richard. He’s a much more talented chef than his meal showed, and I think he put too much time into being clever (e.g., the dish titles) and not enough into making just really good food. His comment that he choked impressed me with its integrity, as it did Ted Allen. He didn’t bluster, he didn’t get defensive, he spoke out honestly in a way that probably was to Stephanie’s advantage.
Stephanie won for her pork, and in spite of her dessert. But I think her meal and her win show what we’ve seen all along–she’s a calm, steady, skilled chef, who impressed quietly with small innovations like the pistachios that Ted couldn’t stop talking about, rather than with big ones like Richard’s nitrogen and smoker. That she only won the one quickfire was an index of this, too. As far as I can say without having tasted her food, she deserved the win, and I think it’s weird that so many in the blogosphere assume shenanigans behind the scenes in the judging.
So, to Stephanie: good luck and well done! I hope to visit Chicago and eat in your restaurant someday.
To Richard: you are an honorable person and a great chef. You had a bad night, but you will have many more great ones.
To Lisa: you finally showed some positive spirit and some consistent cooking. Keep moving in that direction, and good luck.
June 13th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Richard chefs at a place in Buckhead called “Home.” He was interviewed this morning on local CBS AAA station Dave-FM. He interviewed really well. He was confident, not cocky. He promised all listeners that he will use the nitrogen to freeze tomatoes tableside for years to come, even though the show just called it ‘flash.’ I don’t watch the show but will certainly dine at his place the next time I am in Atlanta. Maybe by then, the hype will die down. He said in the interview that Stevie Nicks had been in the night prior. He offered to move tables so she could spin in circles in his dining room. She was non-plussed.
June 20th, 2008 at 9:20 am
I knew it! When Stephanie won, I turned to my boyfriend and said, “Remember that I called this about 3 episodes in!” The big surprise in the finale was clearly the placement of the 2nd and 3rd chefs - who knew Lisa would actually make good on her (season-long) promise and finally deliver some interesting and well-done food? And poor Richard! I really though he was going to be a tough contender, and really, if you look at his season-long performance he was. It’s too bad he didn’t shine on this meal, but it seems like what was his downfall had afflicted Stephanie in previous challenges as well: too many ideas, not enough focus, overthinking.
I always wonder on shows like this how much past performance really counts for. I feel like for a show like Top Chef, it clearly needs to be factored in. It would have been an outrage had Lisa won, given that she had made such a large chunk of “second-to-worst” dishes all season. Surely a top chef has to demonstrate CONSISTENTLY impressive cooking. Just another reason why I don’t think Lisa deserved to be in the final three (and apparently only 3% of viewers felt she ought to take it all!). Anyway, I don’t think Lisa was a bad chef per se, but I maintain that far more deserving chefs ought to have been there. That being said, I really wish I could have a bowl of her Tom Kha Gai right now!
Anyway, another great season of Top Chef. I’ll anxiously await the next one, along with Project Runway!