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Narcissist Stefan gleefully points out that Faris and him have something in common. They both appeared on Entourage. The difference of course is that people remember Faris’ episodes. Well, they would if anybody cared about Entourage.

Overall, this is a good episode for Stefan, though. Kristen continues to creep out North America by flirting with him. There appears to be some sort of indoctrination process wherein models are automatically attracted to celebrities, even if they look and act like Stefan. Then again, Joshua has become a champion of sorts for the bald German. Against all odds, the two of them have become friends. I lost the bet on this one as I figured Joshua would serve Stefan as a protein at some point this season.

The event is hosted at Chihuly Garden and Glass, a decision that reinforces my enjoyment of high definition television. The place is breathtaking. Also, both sets of parents of the Pratt/Faris coupling are at the event. This leads to an amusing incident where Pratt’s mother confesses that she almost broke one of the glass statues at the Garden. I’m guessing the price to replace it would have been larger than Pratt’s Zero Dark Thirty paycheck. Adorably, he relishes the story and gleefully relays it to his wife later in the episode. Like Charlize Theron and the Foo Fighters before them, Team Parks and House Bunny are comporting themselves wonderfully on Top Chef.

The preparation of meals is a rarity for this competition. All of the chefs who believe that their dishes are coming together well deliver delicious food while the ones who had concerns wind up on the bottom. Frequently, contestants brace for the worst only to be pleasantly surprised or arrogantly assume the best only to have the rug swept out from under them (hi CJ!). There is none of that with this meal. Anyone who thinks they are in the weeds winds up in danger of elimination. The unfortunate few are Lizzie, Eliza, Micah and Danyele. Fortunately, not all of them can go to Judges Table…I don’t think.

The first set of meals are all savory. Bart prepares a loin of elk with cherry beer sauce & mushroom couscous. It somehow looks simultaneously delicious and disgusting. The colors on the plate are splendid but the meat itself grosses me out. Brooke produces something I could never eat, a lamb-stuffed squid on black rice with coconut milk. Sheldon continues to demonstrate the culinary melting pot of his home state, Hawaii. He created a braised Okinawan pork belly with seared scallop & rice congee. This is a simple dish on the plate but its composition is complex. Finally, Stefan serves German gulasch with marjoram, bread dumplings & sour cream. It is a beautiful dish.

The other judge for the evening is Rick Moonen, a fact that will be important when we get to John Tesar, his former protégé. Suffice to say that everyone is happy with this course of food. Sheldon’s food is not the least bit mainstream yet the guests love it. Bart’s elk is so tasty that Pratt states, “If this isn’t the frontrunner, this is going to be the best bleepin’ night of my life.” Moonen feels the dish is under-seasoned but that dude is bitchy.

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