Top Chef: Newark ≠ New York

My anticipation for this episode was mostly centered around the fact that Bourdain was a guest judge again. If you're a follower of the show and haven't read his blog entry about this one, go read it. It reveals some interesting things about the Elimination Challenge dishes that were not included in the TV Edit.

Once again, Hung displayed his absolute lack of respect for the kitchen environment during the QuickFire Challenge. We've repeatedly seen Hung create kitchen hazards, and then shrugging them off apathetically. This isn't to say I approve of the tattle-tale attitude last night; the spill of a single bottle of truffle oil and two peppers did not ruin the kitchen (and someone obviously had cleaned up the glass by the time Casey slipped on the oil.) But his carelessness makes me wonder how Hung ever would last more than one night on a real kitchen's payroll. My only guess is that this proverbial "bull in a china shop" is only this dangerous in the Top Chef kitchens, a behavior brought on by the lack of time and the "me first" attitude prevalent in the competition. I'm still positive, though, that if Hung were employed in my kitchen, he would have the unusual distinction among the staff of having weekends off.

And there's another thing about Hung, who is beginning to turn into the social ghost of his friend Marcel from Season Two, is the echoing resentment that he's not a "team player." Some of you may have thought, as I did initially, that Hung's comment about not helping CJ because he wasn't asked for help was a poor justification of selfish behavior. Once I thought it over, though, I realized that Hung was right. A kitchen needs to communicate constantly to be effective. Just like in any relationship, if you don't tell your partner that something is wrong, they cannot magically know or assume that there is. Oh sure, being proactive in helping is definitely charitable (although I don't recall anyone ever asking Howie if he needed help in the half-dozen episodes that he was clearly struggling in.) But it shouldn't be expected, and no judge is going to hang a contestant because they didn't do something they weren't even asked to do, especially in a kitchen where you're supposed to be carrying your own weight.

I was also impressed by the sudden growth of maturity among the chefs last night. While I hate to point a finger at the newly-departed Howie, it's clear that a visible weight has been lifted from the shoulders of the remaining chefs. Although I'm sure they were feeling relieved, they are hopefully realizing one major downside: they no longer have a scapegoat. I think Sara was the first to realize that, as she had to begrudgingly accept that her Elimination Challenge presentation was, indeed, a poor offering unaffected by anyone else's actions or attitudes.

So what about the food? For the QuickFire, I thought Hung's inclusion of Grand Marnier in his breakfast smoothie was brilliant. Casey's breakfast "chunky salsa" looked more like a green enchilada sauce. I was amazed that Dale could complete a fritatta in 20 minutes, including prep time and a tiny two foot square kitchen. The Elimination Challenge presented some really good looking food, although many were off the mark. Sara's choice of salmon for an oven-plane warmed dish showed a lack of forethought, given that salmon is easily one of the most quickly overcooked and dried out fish. CJ's dish - which looked appetizing enough, sans the broccolini - sounded like a good dish, but I was horrified to hear from Bourdain that the mint sauce (which went unmentioned) tasted like toothpaste. Aside from those two dishes, I would have happily eaten anything else, except the failed super-sized surf and turfs.

CJ's departure is only a little sad. He's a great guy, but I think - like most chefs on this program - he is honestly just an under-experienced chef. These contestants are young; they have not spent years in a kitchen. They will continue to grow their talent if they strive to do so. I think CJ has a great future in the culinary world. CJ predicts in his exit video that Casey will win. I can agree that she's definitely in the top four; if she falls away before winning, I think it will be due to circumstance. She has fair competition in Hung and Dale; Brian and Sara M are going to take some luck and a true "best effort" to make it further.