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'Top Chef' Goes to War

Posted by Harold Check, August 16, 2007 at 10:30 AM

No, it wasn't a USO challenge, with the chefbatants Quickfiring for the troops in Iraq. It's Restaurant Wars, a challenge that happens each season, dividing the players into two competing teams that have 24 hours and about three grand to open their own simulated restaurant. This week's guest judge was Daniel Boulud, who garnered near universal squeals of joy from the chefs. Despite being awed by his appearance as their inquisitor, they were all clearly tickled to be in the same kitchen with the legendary chef and restaurateur.

After a Quickfire Challenge that centered on creating a new kind of hamburger for Red Robin, the chefs were informed that, from this point forward, the winner of the opening challenges wouldn't be getting immunity from elimination. [Warning: Spoilage after the jump.]

The Quickfire winner was CJ, offering a scallop mousse and shrimp burger with tangerine, just one of many seafood-centric sandwiches. Unsurprisingly, he was genuinely honored by having Boulud tap him as top chef, even if only for an instant. And while the ex-volleyballer didn't get immunity, he did get to chart his own course in the elimination challenge by being allowed to pick the teams.

At first, that advantage seemed almost as powerful as immunity itself. CJ's team of Brian, Tre, and Casey all had a good track record of cooperation and achievement. While the other group—Dale, Howie, Hung, and Cheesemaker Sara—seemed almost predestined to flounder. No one expected Howie to be a useful teammate. Yet, despite an air of trepidation, the second-stringers managed to get off to a good start. Their opening meeting was marked by a noticeable lack of contention. Howie decided, smartly, not to take charge or snipe at other chefs' choices, including Sara's self-appointment as executive chef of the team. They dubbed their cafe "The Garage" and got to work on a very good foot.

That said, CJ's crew—"Restaurant April"—was equally cooperative, just as you'd expect. After all, Brian and Tre had just executed a convincing divide-and-conquer strategy the week before. CJ, having picked the team, was essentially team leader, although he made Tre executive chef and relegated himself to sous chef. Brian was put in charge of service, and Casey was assigned to design duties and support in the kitchen.

Needless to say, turning a garage into a restaurant capable of serving a multicourse meal to Boulud in less than a day is a daunting task. Both groups were under a ton of pressure, both from a comfort-zone and a time-clock perspective. Here were just a few of the dicier moments:

• Restaurant April served the amuse bouche on dusty plates
• The tables at the Garage were lighted by scented(!) candles and draped in black tablecloths
• Restaurant April's main course was marred by severely overcooked potatoes
• The Garage offered a menu of very heavy dishes, including a risotto that was derided as "gummy"
• Brian essentially melted down during his stint as manager of the front of the house

While everyone suffered some setbacks during this episode (except perhaps Hung and Casey), Brian's performance seemed to be most disappointing. As the judges' table loomed, you had the sinking suspicion that Brian's turn as maitre' d would be his swan song. If CJ's team didn't pull through on the strength of their food, it looked like Brian would be on the first shrimp boat back to San Diego.

Happily, Colicchio and crew decided to spare everyone. No winning team was declared and the rough spots in design, service, and food were chalked up to opening night jitters. It seemed strangely appropriate, in light of the beneficent personality of guest judge Boulud, who gifted both teams with copies of his book, Letters to a Young Chef.

Of course, we've all seen "no elimination" results in elimination competitions before, so that wasn't really a shocker, but the nice twist is that the contestants will have a second chance to make a first impression. Next week's show will offer the same teams trying to work out the kinks, presumably with another celebrity chef stepping in to judge the results. Personally, this is a turn that really appeals to me. I always love when reality shows actually take a cue from, um, reality, and give contestants a chance to develop and improve, rather than take a single shot in the dark.

Another interesting surprise was the on-camera elevation of "food bloggers" to celebrity status. Andrea Strong of The Strong Buzz was invited to act a secret judge during the competition and her strong-worded criticism (and a little bit of praise) was excitedly recited back to the contestants. While it was a little bit unclear why having a blogger in the house was any more incriminating than having an articulate dinner guest captured on camera, it was a smart hat-tip to the increasing power and influence of the online food writing community.

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Tags: Top Chef, TV