I could not be more fired up: Wednesday night was the season premiere of” Top Chef” on Bravo.
If you are new to the show, the concept is that seventeen of the country’s “Top Chef”‘s compete in a series of food prep challenges which result in weekly eliminations until the ultimate Top Chef is crowned and awarded $100,000 to start his or her own restaurant. This description is like calling a Sirloin and Black Truffle Royale Sandwich a Big Mac. What a tragic understatement.
The brilliance of “Top Chef” is the challenges. My favorites include those requiring each participant to come up with an amuse bouche (a one-bite gourmet dish) made entirely from the leftovers of their own cocktail reception, to make an elegant entrée from only ingredients found in a gas station mini mart, and to make an appetizer from vending machine purchases. The show provides hope: if these masterful chefs can make elegant dishes in the most dire of circumstances, perhaps I can whip something delicious up from the contents of my fridge.
Season 6 shows promise to be one of the entertaining seasons yet, and here’s why:
- Location, location, location: what happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but no other challenge in” Top Chef” history has had showgirls as spectators and Wolfgang Puck as a judge.
- Rebels WITH a cause: that cause is cooking. Nevertheless, there are tattoos, piercings and vices aplenty among this cast. The first challenge required the chefs to cook a dish that featured their worst vices, and I’ve never seen that much bourbon since a David Hasselhoff rider.
- There’s no I in team: but there is an I in Michael Isabella. This Washington DC based chef managed to call a contestant one “old lady” less to beat, and said about another contestant that she “had no business beating him” since she was a girl. Mmm…something’s cooking, and it smells like sexism.
Though I’m disappointed that the first cook dismissed, Jenn Z., made the only vegan dish, her version of a Chile Rellano, I can’t wait to see what the season six contestants will cook up next week.
Yay Top Chef!!!! Was her chile relleno even vegan? I thought I saw cheese, but then thought it was weird she was using seitan. I love seitan, don’t get me wrong, but that thing could have been so much better. My money is on the fat hairy tattooed dude from Atlanta so far. None of the girls really stand out to me, even though I tend to rep for the lady chefs all the time.
Just kidding – Padma just said something about vegan bar food. I take it back!