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'Top Chef' Season 5, Episode 9: 'It Amused My Bouche'

Posted by Ed Levine, January 22, 2009 at 12:25 AM

There was romance in the air tonight on Top Chef. Hosea and Leah flirted, cooed, cuddled, and even kissed. Pretty G-rated, don't you think? If this was Real World they would have had sex in a hot tub. On Top Chef they were ridden with guilt just for cuddling because they both had significant others waiting for them after the show ends. In the end their non-romance romance got in the way of their food. Did one of them get sent packing? I'll never tell, until after the jump, that is.

[Warning, spoilers ahead.]

Restaurateur Stephen Starr was the guest judge for the restaurant wars. The Quickfire Challenge involved presenting a dish that was representative of a restaurant concept for Starr, with the goal of getting financial support. Starr is not terribly charismatic or charming, but I thought he did a decent job this evening. He correctly got on Jeff for cooking salmon for the challenge. On the other hand, he let Jamie get away with presenting Chilean sea bass, which was pitched as a dish for her local and seasonable concept. Chilean sea bass is neither local nor sustainable.

I didn't think either team distinguished itself once divided into the "Restaurant Wars" challenge. But as usual, someone has to go home, and I must say it wasn't a total surprise who was sent packing tonight.

Lovebirds Leah and Hosea, along with Stefan and Fabio, were executing Leah's concept, which they named "The Sunset Lounge." The judges were impressed by Stefan's desserts, but that's about it. I couldn't really blame them. The food didn't look particularly appealing, and apparently it tasted worse.

Leah's cod was raw and butchered badly. Fabio was his usual charming self running the front of the house. (Maybe this is his true calling?) Stefan and his pal Fabio ended up saving Leah from herself.

The Sunset Lounge team won, but just by a nose, or should I say a taste bud. Fabio did have one great line. He was feeling pretty confident after he was named to run the front of the house for his team: "We could serve monkey ass in an empty clam shell and still win this thing."

The other Restaurant Wars team included Radikha, Jamie, Carla, and Jeff. I'm still not sure what their concept was, though it was called Sahana. Radhika was not an effective manager, and her attempt at running the Sahana from the front of the house was a disaster. Carla made ridiculously complicated desserts, and for some reason she got away with frozen yogurt that never froze and a bad-tasting spiced chocolate cake.

Not to be unnecessarily cruel, but I wouldn't have minded if they sent home Leah, Radikha, and Carla. They all deserved it. I loved Carla's spirited but nonsensical defense of her failed desserts: "I was sending the love." As I think Stephen Starr said, "Keep the love in the kitchen, and send out good desserts."

Radhika was sent packing for her failures as a manager, but as I said earlier, a strong case could have been made for Carla and Leah's farewell.

Stephan may be the cheftestant everyone loves to hate this time around, but I have to say, he and Jamie are the clear favorites to win the whole thing. Anyone agree?

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Tags: Top Chef, Top Chef Season 5, TV