Top Chef Season 4 Premiers: I Saw This One Coming

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So, after all the hype, season 4 of Top Chef FINALLY arrived.  We got to meet all of our Cheftestants and attempt to size them up.  It is an interesting array of people. 

From our lesbian couple (who must thrive on added pressure in a relationship), to the cocky yet talented competitor, to the girl who is talented but let’s her nerves get the better of her, to the scary looking tattooed guy who looked like he was going to break-down before the judges, to the gastro-molecular nice guy and then to the guy who has to “talk-the-talk” but goes a little overboard…his overcompensation is sadly obvious….this could prove to be a talented and interesting bunch.

I had seen in previews that they were going to make pizzas for the first Quickfire. I was curious on how a chef would feel about this as a challenge.  But Rocco wrote about how this is basically a blank slate.  It really gives one the opportunity to be creative and show what they are about.  Richard, Dale and Jennifer had truly the most creative ideas and I have to give some kudos to Mark for using the marmite…that was brave (I had it once….ONCE) very brave and it did work.  I was a little amazed that some of these people had such a hard time with their dough.  They didn’t have to make it, just stick it in a pan.  Even I would think to be a little cautious about how much dough I used.  I will assume that it was just nerves.

The Elimination Challenge was a well-conceived idea.  Sometimes I question the thought process behind these challenges, but this was perfect.  And the only ones who had any excuse were Eric and Zoi.  Souffle?  Lee Anne wrote in her blog that she came up with the classic dishes.  She said that these were all dishes that every chef should know the basics of, but that she was hesitant about putting souffle on that list.  As Rocco explained:

And of course, poor Zoi and Eric got soufflé. What a lousy dish to get. It should have been judged on a curve. It’s true, as Tom pointed out, that every chef should be able to make a soufflé, but few have the formula for soufflé memorized. The success of a soufflé relies on a precise chemical and physical reaction, and if you don’t have your recipe handy or in your head, good luck. (If you ever spontaneously find yourself in a soufflé challenge against another cook, remember these words: light, fluffy, and of course, delicious. Use a lot of egg whites! Mashed potatoes shouldn’t be the first thing that comes to mind, and if it does, just forfeit the win immediately.)

The cheftestants can not have any written recipes or look anything up.  You are on your own.  I initially felt bad for Ryan too, because he obviously didn’t understand what Chicken Piccata was, but he seriously needed to own up to it.  That exchange just got annoying after awhile.  Rocco was highly critical during the judging, but in his defense Ryan never copped to the blunder:

Ryan and Valerie’s chicken piccata was up next. It took us a long time to judge this one — not because the dishes were close, but because it was nearly impossible to get through to Ryan. He clearly didn’t know that chicken piccata is thin scallop of chicken that’s dipped in flour, then in egg, then sautéed and served with a lemon-butter sauce that sometimes has capers in it. He breaded his chicken, didn’t pound it thin, and didn’t serve it with a lemon-butter sauce — but did serve it with awful gnocchi. (So other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the show?) We tried and tried to explain it to him. He was very defensive. Instead of trying to learn something from Tom, Anthony, and me, he made excuses and generally frustrated us. “Classically mashed potatoes and rice.” Wha?? I always told my cooks that it’s not the mistake that matters but what you do after you’ve made one to ensure it never happens again. There is nothing worse than a cook who is unwilling or unable to learn from his mistakes, and his gnocchi were a very dense mistake. So I said what I said. Sorry! I know it was a bit mean, but had you seen the entire exchange with Ryan you would have understood.

It was great to see Bourdain their and interesting to see him and Rocco on the same judges panel.  Of course, they were sitting on opposite ends of the table.  Sadly, “Anthony Bourdain’s Blog sponsored in part by Michelob” has yet to appear.

In the end, it was farewell to Nimma.  This one I saw coming.  She is young and inexperienced.  Salt became her ingredient de jour and her downfall.  I think this show takes more than skill and knowledge.  You can’t let the challenges and stress get the better of you.  Nerves seems to play a big part and I think you see this in all their eyes.  They know when they blundered and for them it isn’t just about winning, but it is also about pride.

I was glad to see Stephanie win the challenge.  I hope that the lesson she learned was believe in your dish and don’t worry about what the guy next to you is doing.  She was so worried about what she saw Mark present, but in the end Mark’s creativity got the better of him.  He should have known better.  If the dish was not meant to be eaten in progression, then why on earth would you have the consumer mix it together themselves?  He was was attempting to be clever and ended up looking silly.

So until next week, when apparently the heat in the kitchen will cause trials and tribulation for our loving couple, grab a pizza and a Michelob (ewww!), sit down with the Joy of Cooking, read up on classic dishes and don’t pass the salt!