Half way through? That’s all we are? In yet another sign of how abysmal this season of Top Chef is, we’ve still got a half a season left after what seems like an eternity of slow uninspired episodes. The light at the end of the mid-way tunnel was to be this week’s Restaurant Wars, yet even the most anticipated episode of the season failed to shake the show up. However, I’m willing to stop blaming the challenges and now ready to squarely blame the contestants and the casting directors who picked them.
The Quickfire Challenge presented an amazing opportunity to impress a world famous restaurateur and these chefs shrank like violets. Jamie, who has been my favorite this season, truly disappointed me by intentionally tanking it. Can you imagine past season chefs like Marcel, Sam, Hung, or Tiffany doing that? I don’t care if Restaurant Wars can seal your fate. If you’ve got a chance to impress a guy who makes and breaks careers, you better do it. I thought Stefan, Leah, and Radhika certainly did the best job of explaining and then delivering their concepts. I was a little surprised to see the ladies get the win. Unfortunately, they did not follow through.
I think any group of fans, former contestants, or foodies in general had to be disappointed in the product Leah and Radhika put out. Leah engaged in some youthful stupidity (no I’m not talking about her stupid spit swap with Hosea) by ignoring the contribution Stefan could bring to her team. Imagine how well they could have done if she let him execute her menu instead of relegating him to desserts. Kudos to Stefan for not letting that demotion prevent him from shining brightly. Leah did make a great choice in letting Fabio take the front of the house but that’s about all I’ll give her credit for. Her menu looked like every other pan-Asian restaurant I’ve been too recently, and the décor and food lacked pizzazz. Radhika meanwhile decided to open the same restaurant as Leah. In the Quickfire she articulated why her mix of flavors was unique but in delivery it again struck me as nothing new. She also failed to assert herself by letting Jeff work in back instead of the front. To top it all off she didn’t even take ownership of the only role she had left, hostess. Some folks I spoke with over the last few days were outraged that Team Leah won the challenge since they served some inedible food and were outclassed in every dish except for dessert. I disagree completely. Restaurant Wars is not just about the food its about the experience. Everything from the silverware to the service makes a difference and Radhika failed to execute in every area and certainly did not lead. Kudos to the judges for getting rid of this one dish pony.
I am getting tired of sounding like a broken record but the truth is this is the least talented group of chefs Top Chef has ever seen. Next week we get a face off against a group of All Stars, which should make the disparity even more clear.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment