Recap Roundup: Top Chef All Stars Episode 8

Jordan Baker with a haiku that sums it up pretty well:
"Tre, “Black Italian?”
Too firm risotto says not
There goes the hotness."

Monkeys as Critics on Isaac Mizrahi - why? "Isaac Mizrahi is in the house for some reason. Because he designs clothes have good taste? Oh, no, because Padma is showing her jewelry line at Fashion Week, so we needed a tie-in. Nice plug, Padma! Subtle! And she’s wearing one of her own necklaces! Which looks like something I beaded at summer camp! Isaac’s new collection was inspired by his Xerox machine. Whaaaa?"

Max the Girl on Angelo's favorites: "Angelo says that fashion is his other passion (besides the continent of Asia, Russian mail order brides, Rid-Ex anti-itch cream, and tight pants). But that’s just his way. If today’s guest judge were the late Isaac Asimov, Angelo would say that science fiction was his other passion."

Minxeats on plating design: "Doing the rounds, Isaac makes lots of amusing comments about the chefs' plating. Angelo has graffiti'd his table with the word "crocadile" and Isaac notes that not only has he has spelled it wrong, but it looks a bit like something Charles Manson might do. Isaac also raises an eyebrow at the mention of Cavalli being Angelo's favorite designer when of course he should have said Isaac Mizrahi."

David Dust on the Elimination Challenge diners: "In addition to Padma, Tom Colicchio, and Anthony Bourdain, there is also some dude in a vest and actress Lorraine Bracco. Lorraine will be playing the role of a drunken Gail Simmons (sans boobies) during tonight’s performance."

Grub Street on Google is your friend: "The chefs got to cooking, but once Carla admitted that she used to be a model we stopped paying attention and started Googling, since the producers were so rude as to not provide photos. They can give us footage of Fabio walking his turtle down the street, but they couldn't get us one measly shot of model Carla?"

Buddy TV introduces the Elimination Challenge: "The Elimination Challenge is going to be set in a New York restaurant so exclusive you have to inherit a table. I guess that explains why I've never been there. The cheftestants draw knives labeled with Italian 'mob' names. Oh no, not mobsters. Turns out that they're restaurant types: Frankie No and Junior (Frankie Pellegrino Sr. and Jr.) and Dino the Chef."

Food and More on Eye-Talians: "As soon as we find out that this is an Italian themed challenge, this becomes a show down between the three Italian born chefs – Jersey Mike, Antonia, and…umm…I know I’m forgetting one of them….oh yeah. Fabio. Mike quickly appoints himself “the favorite” out of the group. Hmmmm."

Serious Eats on a peesed-off Fabio: "Fabio was angry, and I think justifiably so. His food, which Bourdain said 'wiped away the stain' of the pasta course, was more involved, more authentic, more true to the challenge, and everyone at Rao's loved it. 'Antonia beat me with a bowl of steamed mussels and some fennel,' Fabio said. 'That's a French dish! There's something wrong with this picture!'"

Fabio on the end result: "From now on im extremely disappointed of the Outcome of the challange, i will take BravoTv out of my will and i will start to root for the FoodNetwork, Antonia is a great Chef but if a Bowl of steamed Mussels and some shaved fennel beat An Overnight Marinated Chicken, Braised till the meat fall off the bones with a Polenta served in a Cheese wheal, THEN i am in the wrong businness …. simple as that."

We Like TV on the elimination: "As for Tre, he put out risotto, while everyone panned as being just completely technically wrong. I thought this was odd considering in his original season he did a risotto that was praised by Tom himself. Sometimes I feel like if the judges all agree on something, they just end up convincing each other that it's much worse that it actually is. And this ends up getting him the boot."

Cliffieland offers an aside: "In the FBI bust of some 100 alleged mobsters last week, there actually was one whose nickname was 'Hootie.' Which begs the question, In addition to fashion modeling, does our lanky lass have any other hidden skills?"