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We missed you!
Sorry for the post silence lately – we promise we’re still keeping an eye on openings, eating around town and trying some delicious dishes at home. We’re just a bit behind on letting you know about it.
So…how about that Top Chef DC? Yeah, definite wasted opportunity. It had its moments: Sam Kass and school lunches, for example. But Washingtonians and viewers in general pretty much agree that this season was lackluster.
Oh well – they’re off to Thailand and we’re ready for the rumored-but-not-officially-confirmed Top Chef All Star season that may or may not be currently filming in New York (more on that later – some familiar faces from DC may be involved). We’re also rooting for the home team on Top Chef: Just Desserts when it debuts this week, cheering on Hook’s Heather Chittum as she takes on a field of eleven other pastry chefs.
And we’re also looking back at some more enjoyable Top Chef memories, as well. Top Chef Season 6 gave fans plenty of talent and competition – and gave DC fans a favorite to root for clear to the end in VOLT’s Bryan Voltaggio. The first season of Top Chef Masters provided a fun twist on the format and a winner who’s just such a darn nice guy. And then there was the Top Chef Quickfire Cookbook – everything you need (except years of training) to duplicate some of the most inventive dishes from the show’s first five seasons.
They’re all available for purchase now…or you can win them right here. That’s right – we’re having another Top Chef Finale giveaway contest this week. The winner gets a prize pack that includes Top Chef Season 6, Top Chef Masters Season 1, and the Quickfire Cookbook!
Want to win? Leave a comment with three components (one for each prize):
1. A celebrity chef you’d like to see as a judge next season
2. The competitor you would MOST like to see in an “All Star” season, were there to be one
3. A challenge from a previous season you’d like to see brought back
We’ll announce a winner (selected at random from all eligible entries) on Thursday morning, just in case you don’t get your fill of Top Chef with Wednesday night’s back-to-back episodes.
And thanks for reading!
Capital Spice 
September 13, 2010 at 8:59 am
Oooooh what a fun one! Ok:
1. A celebrity chef you’d like to see as a judge next season: Buddy Valastro!
2. The competitor you would MOST like to see in an “All Star” season, were there to be one: Jennifer, season 6, loved her!
3. A challenge from a previous season you’d like to see brought back: I liked the angel/devil on your shoulder challenge with the dishes that contrasted! I’d like to see something like that.
September 13, 2010 at 9:03 am
Thanks for the entry, Jordan. That’s one vote for the Cake Boss!
September 13, 2010 at 9:16 am
1. Michel Richard
2. Spike
3.The quickfire challenge from season 5 – episode 5: The chefs draw knives to choose their competitors. Each pair will be taken into a darkened kitchen and given 15 seconds to taste a specific sauce. They must then bid on the number of ingredients they think they can correctly name. Bids pass back and forth until one chef challenges the other to match the last placed bid. If a complete list of correct ingredients is given, the challenged chef moves on to the next round. Naming any incorrect ingredient ends the round and the challenger moves on.
September 13, 2010 at 9:39 am
Nice, Elyse. Thanks for entering. We’re also fans of the culinary knowledge challenges like that one.
September 13, 2010 at 9:31 am
This is a great contest! Thanks for offering it up.
1.While I never get sick of seeing Anthony Bourdain as a guest judge. But for someone new I think Michel Richard would be a fun judge. (And please Dear God, can we never see Rocco again!?)
2. There are a lot of contestants that I would put in my personal All Star season (and some I realllly would like to stay home). But Hung must be included–he’s just a fun contestant to watch.
3.I would love to see the food truck challenge again. They were in such close quarters it was fun to see how they dealt with that. Plus all the patrons were drunk and that’s always entertaining. 🙂
September 13, 2010 at 9:40 am
Love it! Considering the way the food truck scene in New York has grown, that’s a great idea.
September 13, 2010 at 9:44 am
1. Jonathan Waxman. I loved him on Top Chef Masters and I think he’d be a great critic.
2. Fabio Viviani – he was so so so fun to watch!
3. Culinary Olympics from Season 6.
September 13, 2010 at 9:51 am
This is the first season I was able to convince my boyfriend to watch – and he’s hooked! So two extra DVD seasons would definitely serve us well.
1. Jose Andres (still going with the DC Love theme).
2. I always really liked Richard Blais – his hair, his style of cooking, his personality.
3. Food Trucks! They’ve become such a hit in DC (and there is now a whole show about them on Cable), that I think it’s both relevant and very interesting.
September 13, 2010 at 10:00 am
1. I would love to see Mario Batali judge some sort of pasta quick fire.
2. Give Tre another chance!
3. I liked the challenge in Season 1 where the teams had to fuse Latin American cuisine with another ethnic cuisine (i.e. Morroccan). It doesn’t have to be Latin, but I like the idea of taking bold flavors from different cuisines to create something new and delicious.
September 13, 2010 at 5:49 pm
1. Sara Moulton. Her program was the first cooking show I watched as a kid.
2. Sam Talbot
3. Create an original ice cream flavor
September 13, 2010 at 7:42 pm
1. I’d like to see Jamie Oliver judge on top chef- has he already been a judge?
2. Def. Sam Talbot for All-Stars.
3. One of my favorite challenges was the grocery store aisle challenge- because it has brought such awesomeness as Hung’s smurf village.
September 14, 2010 at 12:37 am
1. A celebrity chef you’d like to see as a judge next season
Gordon Ramsey. He’d give them a run for the money
2. The competitor you would MOST like to see in an “All Star” season, were there to be one
From this season? Angelo. From all time – Sam Talbot
3. A challenge from a previous season you’d like to see brought back
I love the mini-mart challenge where they had to make a dish out of the junk food from a gas station market
September 14, 2010 at 6:47 pm
1. I’d love to see Anthony Bourdain as a celebrity chef judge.
2. Sam’s got my vote for the All-Stars
3. I’d love to see a challenge like the Napa Valley Train one, but instead of wine have it be craft beer, beer pairings, etc. That’s what I’m really looking for.
September 15, 2010 at 7:51 am
1. Hubert Keller! No one can compare with that man’s hair (or his cooking).
2. Bryan Voltaggio (You gotta vote for the hometown hero).
3. The vending machine challenge, because it was fantastic watching Cheetos get transformed into haute cuisine.