After watching three hours of Lost last night, I was really not in the mood for more television.
But! That was before I remembered that last night’s Top Chef was Restaurant Wars, and also the climax (oops) of HosEah’s sexual tension. For those who care, a recap…
Photo courtesy of bravotv.com.
In the beginning, the Top Chefs remind us that we are halfway through the season. Sidenote: We are halfway through and I still don’t really like any of the contestants. I mean, they’re all fine, but there’s not one that I’m rooting for, though Stefan is seeming more and more like the likely winner. The guy does it all. Anyway, we’re down to 8, and the chefs walk into the kitchen, and Stephen Starr is there. Yep, he’s a big deal, and then Padma announces in her sultry voice, that it’s “Restaurant Warrrrssssss!” and everyone’s like, “ohhhh man.” The Quickfire Challenge is to come up with one dish that you would serve at a restaurant you’ve conceptualized. So everyone runs around and cooks, and then it’s time for tasting. Leah’s snapper smelled terrible, so she went with tempura chicken thighs in some sort of dashi–an asian concept, I thought–and she ended up a winner. (She also got a hug from Hosea in during judging). Fabio did a lunch menu that looked yum but would probably never work, Jamie won’t shut up about “seasonal cooking,” as if that’s an original thought anymore, and Radhika went with an Indian concept and was the other winner.
Radhika and Leah pick teams, and no one wants Stefan. I mean, seriously, Leah picks Hosea first? Over Jamie? And Stefan? I mean, I know why, but come awn girl. The teams decide on names and concepts and go shopping for goodies at Pier One. When they return to the TC house, they are trying to come up with a menu, and for really no apparent reason Leah decides to become all dramatic and storm off when Stefan is talking about making desserts. Apparently he’s totally stubborn and an a**hole, but to me, it just looked like Leah wanted some attention. Which she got. At this point, Bravo cues the bow-chica-wow-wow music, and we see (barely!) HosEah laying on the couch, snuggling. They whisper some things about how “comfy” they are, and then, suddenly, they are smooching. We can’t see it, but we can hear kissing noises. Yes, it’s finally happened.
The next morning, both parties are feeling guilty. They both profess their love for their signficant others, expressing how much they both want to be with other people when they return home. We’ll see. Still, it’s awkward to watch them try to interact, and the rest of the day is just strange between the two of them.
So, Fabio decides to be the front of the house for Leah’s team (reataurant Sunset Lounge, ick) and Radhika takes one for the team and decides to play FOH for her team (restaurant Sahana, nose crinkle). I mean, we could have stopped watching right here and predicted the crash-and-burn which was Radhika as the chef/owner. She seemed like a good chef, but the personality? Not so much. So everyone cooks, and sets up, they only have six hours which is of course not enough, and the freezers aren’t working, and HosEah is trying to avoid eye contact, and then it’s time for service. Mousy Radhika is totally overwhelmed when people are waiting for tables. Team Sahana is the first to get a table full of judges, and the carrot soup, scallop and chickpea cake, snapper and braised lamb shank are generally well-liked by everyone (there were made by Jamie and Jeff). But the desserts are disaster. Carla, whose desserts usually kick butt, served “ice cream” that was the consistency of a smoothie, and chocolate cake that everyone hated. And Radhika didn’t come around to say goodbye to the judges, another bad sign.
Judges head over to Restaurant Sunset Lounge, where they are greeted by a suited-up Fabio, who is just made for this kind of position. He’s friendly, funny, cheesy, but whatever, he’s making people laugh and feel comfortable. His veggie roll amuse bouche made everyone but the lady they interviewed (“It amused by bouche!”) scowl, definitely not a great way to start. Next was the two way sashimi, which needed salt, and a coconut-curry bisque that I don’t remember anyone commenting on. The braised short ribs were fine, but the black cod-made by Leah-was practically raw in the middle. Inedible. Homegirl was so thrown off her game because of the kiss she forgot how to cook, practically. It was bad. Thank goodness for Stefan, who saved the day with his gorgeous looking desserts, including these little lollipops with mint at the end that were so cute and smart.
Off to judge’s table. Team Sunset Lounge won, but not by much. If they had lost, judges told Leah she would have been going home for sure. Mopey Leah just sat there looking sad and guilty. Stefan was the winner, and he gets an entire kitchen full of GE appliances.
Team Sahana was the loser, but not by much. Judges debated whether to send crazy Carla (“I was sendin’ out the LOVE, Tom!”) or mousy Radhika home, but not before reaming both of them pretty good.
Radhika is sent packing. We all knew she wouldn’t the TC. My top three prediction: Stefan, Jamie, and Hosea.
