Not a War; Not Even A Battle (Top Chef 3, Episode 8)

This episode of Top Chef: Miami offered the much anticipated Restaurant Wars. This tradition makes sense on paper. However, it’s not easy to execute. Some chefs get to cook, while others have to work in the front end. This division of labor makes it difficult to evaluate each chef’s performance. How does one compare Howie’s risotto to Brian’s front of the house performance? Both were bad, but we’re talking about different types of bad. If you ask me, I don’t think it’s very fair. The show is called Top Chef, and eliminating a chef for having poor interior design skills makes no sense to me.

I was pleased that CJ won the quickfire challenge, which earned him an important advantage. He seems to be coming out of his shell, so to speak. Anyway, the chefs were divided into two teams of four. CJ’s advantage was getting to pick his team. He chose Tre, Casey, and Brian. They called their temporary place Restaurant April. The remaining chefs—Howie, Sara, Hung, and Dale—called their restaurant The Garage. I find it strange that none of the chefs expressed concern about such an ill conceived name.

Team Garage seemed to have the most problems—scented candles, a tacky environment, and two poorly executed and heavy dishes. Dale claimed to have the most front end experience, and it showed. I think he did an excellent job. He’s quite a character. He said the following of working as a server in the front of the house,

You’re half prostitute, half performer . . . in the front I’m smooth; in the back, I’m a raging bitch

Dale is now officially my favorite chef. Yes, I love gay men! You know, I found it interesting that he and Hung were out done by Brian and Casey. Come on; what’s the world coming to? Aren’t gay and bisexual men supposed to have better taste? It was so disappointing.



The judges weren’t too impressed with either team, although it appeared that Team April was ahead. Even Ted mentioned that he preferred them over Team Garage.



I also have to acknowledge that I’ve been too hard on Sara M. In this episode, I think she redeemed herself in my eyes. She volunteered to be the executive chef, a very risky move. And, at the judges’ table, she openly accepted full responsibility as head of the kitchen. I was impressed and so were the judges.



In the end, Dale and Brian were both in the hot seat for crimes against good taste and service. Dale committed a major sin by placing scented candles all over the restaurant. Shouldn’t most chefs know better?



I really thought the judges were going to send Brian home. He really lost it this time, and a good chef has to know how to handle pressure. You can’t just give up like Sara did in the previous challenge, but you can’t run around like a chicken with its head cut off either. I’ve made it clear that I like Brian. Actually, I like looking at him. So, I was ready to see him go.

Well, no one was eliminated; the judges decided to give both teams another chance. Some bloggers liked the idea; others . . . not so much. I hope the producers, chefs, and judges take this opportunity to iron out all the kinks. But I doubt they will.

Ah, I have to talk about the guest blogger. I loved the idea. I wish Bravo would do it more often. Click here to read guest blogger Andrea Strong’s description of this episode. She offers an outside perspective of the show. The one thing I didn’t like about this whole thing was that Andrea had to sign a confidentiality agreement. She wasn’t allowed to discuss Top Chef on her blog. Yeah, that kind of sucks. Ok, I get it. Bravo needs to ensure that no one leaks vital information about each episode before air time; but couldn’t they come up with a clever way to include bloggers in the process without the gag order?

Bravo is well aware that bloggers have added so much to their various shows. What would Project Runway be without Tom and Lorenzo? How could we enjoy Top Chef without Amuse-Biatch, Blogging Top Chef, Top Chef 2: They Cook, We Dish, Dishin' Dat, Eric Three Thousand, and Reality on Bravo? Maybe next season the producers will invite some of these wonderful Bravo bloggers to participate. How awesome would that be?