Top Chef Finale

I have to warn you, this was the most boring finale Top Chef has had to date! No real excitement. With two really good chefs and one sour puss, the only thing to hope for is that Lisa doesn't win. With that said, the chefs have to make a four course tasting menu. They get help from some famous chefs that I don't know. Actually, I did recognise the one with the accent since he has been a guest judge. Our top chefs aren't too sure how to go about working with the pros and Stephanie ends up hovering over her chef and she thinks she is offending him. Richard pulls out some of his gadgets which impresses all of the chefs & Lisa is getting along with her chef which surprises everyone, maybe because her chef is a woman.

Day two and chefs find out they are on their own with no pro-chef help. Lisa says she wants her menu to reflect her personality, big, bold, spicy and sweet. What part of Lisa is sweet?! Big and bold, yes, sweet, NOT! Chef Tom comes in to check on the chefs who don't seem to want to talk to him. All Richard would say is that his menu is abstract. Does that mean we won't be able to tell what it is on the plate? Lisa says she is on track and Stephanie is nervous about her dessert.

The setting for the final meal/judging is beautiful. Crystal chandeliers, fine china, fresh flowers all in a mansion in Puerto Rico. The only thing that would have made it better is if it were all open air. That would make any meal taste better. As the chefs present their courses, Stephanie seems to have won the first course with seared snapper in fois gras topped with salad greens. Lisa takes the second course with her coconut soup with lemon grass. I thought sure (hoping really) that Stephanie would beat Lisa with her lobster ravioli and quail egg but chef Tom had to jump in and ask the judges what they thought about the leeks which did her in.

Third course and Stephanie shines again serving lamb with mushrooms, blackberries, pistachios and olives. That sounds just awful but the judges loved it. Richard, who hasn't even shown up on the radar, comes through with dessert. He made a repeat of his banana scallop with bacon ice cream. Bacon ice cream?! Again, sounds terrible but the judges loved it.

At judges table, Richard tells the judges he choked while Stephanie says her dessert could have been better and, of course, Lisa thinks she did no wrong. The judges tell Stephanie just when they think they have her figured out she surprises them. At this point, I'm on the edge of my sofa thinking that comment could go either way and talking to the TV saying don't pick Lisa, PLEASE don't pick Lisa! The judges crown Stephanie Top Chef and I jumped up cheering like I was at a football game! Thank goodness! I was so afraid that Lisa was going to somehow pull it off again. Apparently Lisa thought so to because the look on her face would turn the judges hair white. Get over your bad attitude self Lisa! Congrats, snaps and kudos to Stephanie! Double D

Top Chef - It's All In How You Cut It

The Chef's go to Allen Brothers which is a meat supplier. They also do catalog orders which I have had and they are fantastic! The challenge is to cut individual chops from a dry aged rib rack and french the bone in 20 minutes. With the racks being dry aged, it was hard to cut. My mouth was watering just thinking what those steaks would taste like. Spike says that both of his grandfathers were butchers and it showed up in this challenge, he flew through those ribs.

The second half of this challenge is to cook a steak for guest judge Rick Tramonto. They get to use the chops they made at Allen Brothers. Chef Tramonto didn't taste any of the steaks, only looked for the butchering techniques and doneness. I couldn't judge a steak without tasting it, you would have had to roll me out of there! Spike and his butchering wins him the challenge.

The elimination challenge is to take over Chef Tramonto's restaurant, Tramonto's (how original) for a night. Chef Tramonto seems very reluctant to hand over his restaurant going as far as to beg the chefs not to upset his customers. Go take a tranquilizer Chef, it will be over before you know it! The chefs get to the restaurant and have to wait while Spike decides his proteins for appetizer and entree' which was his reward for winning the quickfire challenge. He chooses the tomohawk steaks for entree' and scallops that he found in the freezer for appetizer. Chef Tom is back and will be expediting the service. He stops by each chef's stations and makes some nervous about their choices like Lisa's peanut butter mashed potatoes. I love peanut butter but that is something I would have to be talked into trying. Stephanie's entree is beef tenderloin piled on a plate with mushrooms and apple sauce.

The guest judges for this round are the winners of the previous Top Chefs. They all loved Richard's sweetbread appetizer. Antonia also made sweetbreads and it looked as if Ilian was actually gaging over her dish. Chef Tom gets on Richard for being slow but Richard says he wants everything to be perfect even if the customers have to wait. Remind me to order another glass of wine if I'm going to be waiting! The judges loved Stephanie's dish, the taste as well as the presentation, which was, let's just say, different. Chef Tom looked like he was having more fun expediting the service than he does when he is out front eating. He has to remind the chefs that he is judging and to save him some food.

At judge's table the judges went to each chef in turn with the critique. Stephanie, Antonia and Richard all took it well. Then there is Lisa. Lisa was beaming when they praised her entree' and her peanut butter potatoes but then they started criticizing her shrimp appetizer, she had death ray look in her eyes again. That is one scary woman when she gets mad!

Spike screwed up royally. He picked frozen scallops from the walk in and challenged Chef Tramonto for having them there in the first place. Someone should shove a scallop in his pie hole. Talking to a chef, not to mention that he is a judge as well, only makes that target on your back that much bigger! Just to keep you guessing, the judges went after Lisa making her death ray glare scorch the table cloth. Stephanie wins the challenge (and Richard doesn't look to happy about that) and gets a prize of Chef Tramonto's cook book and a suite of GE Monogram appliances. Antonia and Richard will join her in Puerto Rico for the final.

The judges get on Spike and Lisa one last time telling Lisa that she has been in the bottom five times now but it's Spike that has to pack his knives and go. Stephanie has really jumped to the top out cooking Richard. I'm still thinking Richard to win but Stephanie is going to make him work for it! Double D