José Andrés On Top Chef

Last night I watched the 11th episode of the 4th season of Top Chef. And guess what? José Andrés, the Spanish chef, host of a TV show for the Spanish Public TV and owner of 5 restaurants in Washington DC, was there! It was a great surprise seeing him on Bravo TV as the guess judge for that round. The contestants had to battle in the famous Restaurant Wars, were two teams have to open a restaurant in 8 hours. In one team we had Antonia, Richard & Stephanie who decided to open a Gastro Pub called Warehouse Kitchen. From the beginning we could see that they were the strong team, great team-players, no old quarrels and my favorite cook in the team (Richard). On the other team, the remaining cooks: Dale, Lisa & Spike; who went for an Asian restaurant (Dale, Asian... I think I've heard that before).

As you can imagine, the results were completely different. While all the dishes from the Warehouse Kitchen had a consistent quality and seemed flavorful, the Asian team lacked team-work and execution... I am happy that José Andrés didn't pick too much on the contestants, but I am sure that he can do better with his Spanish accent than that!

Top Chef (Season 3)

Last week I started watching the 3rd season of Top Chef, my favorite reality show (see my post about the finale of the 2nd season). If you haven't watched it, this show is all about cooking. 15 people start the competition, and every episode there is a Quickfire Challenge and an Elimination Challenge. In the Quickfire Challenge the contestants have to create a small dish or an amuse-bouche with a given product or in special situation. The winner of the Quickfire gets immunity for the Elimination Challenge, where the show gets "nasty". This elimination challenge can imply different difficulties for the cooks: work with low-cholesterol food, cook in a luxurious barbecue, reinvent American classics, or cook for children.

Well, so this 3rd season, as far as the 4th episode, isn't that different from the other season. There are the typical characters: the egocentric chef, the though black guy, the crying female chef that misses her daughter, the aggressive big fat white cook... Thrilling, isn't it? I love this show, and I will keep you updated as I get closer to the finale.

Top Chef, Second Season Finale

WTF!!! How could Ilan win last edition of Top Chef? I was just watching the last episode of this 2nd season of the competition, and Ilan won the final Elimination Challenge against Marcel... I have to say that Ilan is a great exponent of Spanish Coisine, as he works for a Spanish restaurant in NYC. But Marcel, without saying so, is a great reflexion of another Spanish cook, Ferran Adrià, who along with British chef Heston Blumenthal, is often associated with "molecular gastronomy".

I liked Marcel, even though he was seen sometimes as an asshole. He said it from the beginning, he was there to win, and he wasnt going to be best friend of everyone. I think he took much more risks than Ilan, and put him all the time in the edge... That is what happens when you try to be more creative than other, that you may put yourself in danger. On the other hand I have to admit that I am pleased that someone who has great love for Spanish Coisine has won the competition. Great job for both of them.