Top Chef: Seattle Recap

By David Mumpower

January 22, 2013

I'm gonna pick one of you, and I'm gonna pick wrong.

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The ordinarily mild-mannered Kristen is apoplectic over this revelation. At no point did Josie discuss the decision. Instead, she provided empty promises while internally determining that she had no interest in performing the task. I am not at all shocked by this turn of events. The situation merely reinforces all of my standing opinions about Josie. And her dish is probably going to be a disaster.

The question is whether Josie will be held accountable for yet another instance of lackluster time management or if Kristen will be blamed for not whipping Josie into action. I mean this literally, by the way. Kristen should be handed a whip and encouraged to use it at any moment where Josie fails to follow orders.

“That’s just how I cook. I don’t rush things.” – Josie, describing her cooking style, which is the antithesis of fast food.

As the two teams spend the evening contemplating their current situations, the rest of Kristen’s team speaks up. All three of the other women worry over the decision not to pre-plate anything. Josie sees this as the perfect opportunity to impose her will on Kristen. Impressively, Kristen stands her ground, confident in her ability to manage the kitchen effectively. She does appear a bit teary-eyed by the exchange. Josie slinks off to grouse to the men about the situation. Interestingly, Joshua and Stefan agree that a la minute is a bad idea.




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During the afternoon preparations, both teams demonstrate excellent communication and chemistry. Ingredients are tasted for flavor enhancement and all suggestions for improvement are given their due consideration. At this point, I expect this to be one of the most triumphant Restaurant Wars competitions to date.

I do worry about a quote from Kristen, though. “My concept, my food. If something goes wrong, I’ll take responsibility for it. But I don’t want anybody else fucking it up for me.” The immediate edit shows Josie falling behind with her broth stock. Kristen feels that the process should take 45 minutes. Josie claims that she still needs another hour from the current moment.

People who have long tracked reality show programming recognize that this is probably an instance of foreshadowing. Something about that broth is crucial to the episode’s outcome. I’m getting a sinking feeling about Atelier Kwan. The cause for concern increases when Josie suddenly announces that she needs the gelatin. Kristen was under the impression that this ingredient had already been completed. Instead, Josie is only now ready to start. Panicked, Kristen decides to use cream instead of gelatin. That entire dish is a mess now. If the team loses, someone is going home for this dish.

The judges arrive. Restaurant Wars is officially underway. Brooke handles front of the house for Atelier Kwan while Stefan counters for Urbano. Both of them are experienced with opening restaurants so the service presumably will be better than normal. Danny Meyer, Gail Simmons, Emeril Lagasse, Tom Colicchio and Padma Lakshmi dine at Atelier Kwan first. They quickly note the elegant nature of the design. Score this round for Brooke’s sensibility over Josie’s audacity.


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