Kitchen Hubris

Welcome back, Top Chef fans! I got a few inquires last week basically asking, um, who I was. To steal an explanation from our Team Project Runway blog:

"We're the people who read your comments every day, who alert our bosses when you're looking for a recipe or more information about what happened to Jo on "The Real Housewives" - we're the people who make this website. Sometimes we do interviews with talent."

This time, we decided to make this blog a little more personal, so "we" became "I," and here we, er, I am. Now onto the show:

The Quickfire Challenge called for the chefs to create an upscale taco. And first I just want to say that watching this episode made me crave Mexican food so badly I had to have some tacos last night. Seriously, Mexican food is one of those cravings that just doesn't go away until you nip it in the bud. Anyway, so the chefs have to create an upscale taco for Rick Bayless (Read our Q+A with the chef), and I'm kinda thinking an upscale taco is basically the same thing as a street taco, but about five times the price. But apparently it's actually different. I thought Spike, despite his ever-increasing annoying attitude maybe had the right idea -- create the perfect street taco. Because what's more upscale than creating something really "street," but done well? But then I realized that maybe I hang out on the Lower East Side too much where everything old is new. Two peeps that got it right were Richard, and Andrew -- my two faves. Richard won the challenge by creating his taco shell out of jicama. Andrew used luxurious duck meat to pimp his taco out. Chef Bayless told me that Richard's taco will be rolled out after the show premieres. I plan to eat at Topolobampo when I head to Chicago in May, so I'm pretty excited, and hopefully I'll be able to try Richard's taco for myself!

Now onto the Elimination Challenge -- The chefs had to make their own teams. Spike brought up a good point that even though Richard is a great chef, he has immunity. And EVERY time a chef has immunity, they say they will perform like they don't. Um, whatever you say buddy. Remember Casey's "nest" debacle last year with Joey and Howie? Mm-hmm. Because even if you don't mean to be a weak link, if you are, your immunity will be blamed. Anyway, the Red Team and Blue Team are formed.

I haven't been to a block party in a long time, but if I recall correctly, all the food is basically just there so that people don't get AS drunk as they might with no food in their stomachs. But I digress -- I know that the chefs had slightly limited ingredients, although they were a lot better than I would have thought, but some of their choices really baffled me, probably the most being the paella. Not only was this taped during the summer, so it was super hot out there and paella is heavy, but who eats paella at a block party? (Apologies if you do, in fact, eat paella at your block parties.) But the more and more I think about the more I hear Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers in my head asking "Really, Richard?" I'm also thinking that now Richard can't make paella in another challenge that actually might have called for paella to be made. Hope that doesn't bite him in the arse later.

How cute were the Richmond Ave. residents talking about the food? I love how everyone now speaks as if they're sitting at the Judges' Table right alongside Tom and Padma. Anyway, rather than talk too much about the dishes, which were frankly disappointing to watch, I want to talk about the feistiness of the chefs this week. Andrew calling the Top Chef set "his house," Richard talking back to Chef Colicchio. And what about Erik telling Chef Bayless to screw himself in his vignette. Whaaat?! Easy, Odysseus. We now all know how both those stories ended ....

Oh, and before I forget, I'm going to announce Andrew's best line each week because, well, I love him more and more with each passing episode. This week's winner:

Andrew: Do you guys smell that?
[Voice]: What?
Andrew: Success!

He loses points for impersonating Borat, but otherwise it was solid.

Let me know what you thought about this week's episode and who you think is inching towards victory. I love getting comments -- it's a sickness.

- "superfan"