What's Up with Mike I?

An anonymous comment on the most recent recap roundup post wondered why Mike Isabella seems to be getting so much air time this season. Good question! What do you think?

poll by twiigs.com

International Bacon Day!

Saturday is International Bacon Day and Purina Beggin'® Strips is sponsoring the The Beggin’® Bacon Bash, which will feature special cooking demonstrations by Top Chef season 6 finalist Kevin Gillespie!

This dog-friendly family event will take place from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Blue Ash Recreation Center, 4433 Cooper Road, in Cincinnati - one of the largest pork-producing cities in the United States.

For more information on the event, go to http://beggintime.com/baconFest.aspx.

To get you into the bacon-y mood, here are a couple of Kevin's recipes:

Spicy Bacon Popcorn
1/3 cup organic popping corn
3 T + 12g melted bacon fat
2 tsp espelette pepper
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp popcorn salt
¼ C finely grated parmesan
8g tapioca maltodextrin

Place three tablespoons of bacon fat in bottom of popcorn machine. Add popping corn and allow machine to run until the popping slows. Remove from the machine and toss in a mixing bowl with espelette, black pepper, salt, and parmesan. Mix remaining bacon fat with tapioca maltodextrin. Sprinkle bacon powder over popcorn and serve.

Bacon Whoopie Pies

½ C unsalted butter, room temperature
1 C dark brown sugar
½ C granulated sugar
¼ C turbinado sugar
2 large eggs
½ C molasses
2 T grapeseed oil
2 C AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp kosher salt

Bacon Buttercream
12 egg whites
1 Tbsp salt
3 C dark brown sugar
36 oz butter
½ C rendered bacon fat

Combine together butter, granulated, and brown sugar and whisk on high speed in a mixer until light and fluffy. Add in eggs, molasses, and oil and whisk to combine. Add in flour and all dry spices and salt and allow to mix until just combined. Roll cookie dough into a cylinder in plastic wrap and refrigerate over night. Slice cookies into ¼ inch disks and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake at 400 degrees until the edges are set, and the center is still soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before using.

For the buttercream place the sugar and enough water to dissolve it in a heavy bottom saucepot. Bring to a boil and cook to 236 degrees Fahrenheit. While the sugar is cooking place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and fit it with the whisk attachment. Begin whisking the whites on high speed once the sugar reaches the desired temperature. Remove the sugar from the heat and begin pouring it into the mixer in a thin stream slowly. Allow the mixture to whisk until the bowl cools to room temperature. Once cool add in butter and bacon fat and whisk on high until the mixture is light and fluffy. Fill reserved cookie sandwiches with icing.

New on DVD!

A&E/New Video has announced the release of Top Chef Masters season 1 and Top Chef Las Vegas on DVD! Now you can get your fill of Hubert Keller, Rick Bayless, and the Voltaggio Brothers while watching both seasons over and over and over again.

Both are available at Target for $19.99.

Click here to buy Top Chef Masters Season 1

Click here to buy Top Chef Las Vegas Season 6

Or...you can win a copy of both videos here at All Top Chef! Just leave a comment and tell us who you think should have been the winners in those seasons. One winner will be chosen by random drawing and the winner will be notified by e-mail. The winner will receive one copy of the Top Chef Masters Season 1 DVD and one copy of the Top Chef Las Vegas Season 6 DVD.

Contest ends August 11th at midnight.

As always, there are rules and regulations:

• Contest open to residents the United States of America and Canada only.
• Please be 18 years of age or older.
• The odds of winning are dependent on the number of entries received. 
• Winners will be chosen at random and notified via email.
• Only Entrants who provide valid e-mail addresses will be considered in prize drawings. 
• Entrants may not be awarded two of the same prize from different sources. If it is found that the individual chosen as the recipient of a prize has already won the same prize elsewhere, a new winner will be selected.
• The prizing for this giveaway was provided by A&E. A&E is not a sponsor, administrator or connected in any other way with this giveaway.

Video du Jour - Bryan Voltaggio

Happy Holidays!

Top Chef Las Vegas Bloopers

Miss the reunion show? Sometimes the best part is the blooper reel - and here it is for your viewing pleasure.

Video - Sarah Jessica Parker Announces Season 6 Fan Favorite

This Year's Fan Favorite....

...no surprise here - Kevin Gillespie! And in second place was Bryan Voltaggio.

Congrats, Kevin! Even though you didn't win, the $55K you picked up over the season (including the 10K for Fan Favorite) ain't too shabby.

Poll Results - Fan Favorite Voting

The Top Chef 6 Fan Favorite will be announced tonight at midnight on Watch What Happens Live! with Andy Cohen. According to our poll, 51% of you think that Kevin will win it, followed by Bryan with 26% of the vote. Jen Carroll comes up in third place at a mere 7%.

Top Chef Las Vegas Reunion Tonight!

Don't forget to watch the Top Chef Las Vegas reunion tonight at 9/10C. It was filmed in Napa in October, so you won't get the scoop on the Fan Favorite voting. For that, you'll have to stay up until midnight and watch Andy Cohen's Watch What Happens Live! on Thursday the 17th.

Or just come here to All Top Chef on Friday morning. We'll have the goods. :)

Michael Voltaggio and Andy Cohen

Notice how Michael evades the "are you available" question? He gave a similar response to Laura K in her ATC podcast. When you're married, don't you say, "I'm married?" Just sayin'....

Recap Roundup: Top Chef Las Vegas Finale Part 2

We've made it through yet another season of Top Chef, and by now everyone who reads this blog surely knows what happened and who took home the big prize. But, still, the bloggers need their say...

Cliffieland on what's in the box: "One of the three dishes must use all of the ingredients in this mystery box. (I would make a joke about the movie Seven here. But I’ve never seen it. … But I know what’s in the box. Which is probably why I’ve never seen it. … Moving on.)"

Jordan Baker is happy with the outcome: "I did not for a second, not even up until the very last, not even when Padma said his name (especially after that epic fake out with Kevin, which they’ve NEVER DONE BEFORE), think that Michael was going to win. And I had no idea just how badly I wanted him to win until he did."

Minx Eats on helpers: "Then Padma tells the cheftestants they will have help, and from the surrounding vineyard emerge the first 437 eliminated chefs, from Jen Z to Jen C. Jen C. is carrying the knife block, the sight of which causes Michael to say that there are a couple of names he could pull that would make him slit his own throat."

Reality Check (Baltimore Sun) on Kevin's attitude: "We haven't seen Kevin get angry about anything all season – Justine guesses his having to prep 18 of the 20 things was the tipping point. Liz thinks Kevin's just sore he didn't get to work with his bromance Eli."

Meal Ticket (Philly City Paper) on the strength of the final three: "While it’s easy to argue that these three were groomed from the outset by producers based on their manifold archetypal value — tall good-looking blonde dudes! vicious sibling rivalries! jolly Southern gentlemen! pork fetishes! tattoos! beards! — you can’t knock the numbers: This threesome combined to win 12 of the 13 elimination challenges this season. No joke."

It Happened Last Night on the actual surprises: "Not usual: 1) The chefs' moms were on hand to say hello and eat their boys' food. Bravo totally got a 2-fer for the Voltaggios. 2) Dessert required!"

Starcasm on reactions to the moms: "Kevin: “I opened the door and it was my mom!” (Hugs mom) 'I just couldn’t be happier! To see the person that inspired me throughout my life at this moment…it just couldn’t be better!' Voltaggio Brothers: 'Mother present. Compute. Hug mother. Pat back. Talk about childhood. Reboot. Process menu for tomorrow.'"

Christenam on, well, yep: "In an interview Kevin says he lost half of his prep time due to being angry. It seems that Kevin is going to be this season's Richard Blais or Casey Thompson and choke."

TV Watch on the ending: "In the end, the judges’ tough decision came down to the two brothers after the panel determined that Kevin was an outstanding chef who simply had an off night. Their pick of Michael over Bryan was an emotional one, Colicchio told the brothers, but the Voltaggios vowed that they’d rather be up against each other than any other chef out there."

Showtracker on why Michael was the right choice: "He also told us incessantly that his food was bold, risky and surprising. He was right. I'd even add that his food was more bold, risky and surprising than anyone else in "Top Chef" history. (Only Richard Blais might have been even more of a mad scientist in the kitchen.) "

Speakeasy (WSJ) on the twist: "Just when they’ve started to relax, there’s a twist. In honor of their mothers, the finalists now have to create a fourth dish, inspired by their favorite childhood food memory. Great, thanks a lot, Moms."

Slashfood on the big questions: "By now, we know "Top Chef" is all about tough questions: 'Are you proud of what you cooked?' 'Who was really responsible for the disgusting part of your dish?' 'Why in God's name did you serve me raw lamb?' But last night, we got the toughest one yet: 'Which son do you like better?... C'mon, you can tell us -- we're just 10 people who are about to critique both of them into oblivion!'"

Fork in the Road (Village Voice) on the desserts: "And finally, thank god, finally, it was time for dessert. Stephen Starr called foul on Kevin's decision to use bacon in his toasted banana with chocolate bacon mousse and peanut bacon brittle (so first quarter 2009!), and everyone agreed that Michael's vulcanized-looking chocolate caramel coulant with butternut squash ice cream and butternut brulee was a wee bit overcooked. Bryan's dulce de leche cheesecake with fig sorbet was the big winner: Gail looked like she was about to climb right out of her dress."

TV Squad on the mom course: "I love the idea of having the chefs create a first course that reminds them of childhood memories, especially since we got such good stories out of it. Kevin's mom loves fried chicken skin! Brian was inspired by the texture in his mother's simple dishes, while Michael was a picky eater who 'hated everything.' I guess he got past that."

Max the Girl on Preeti: "Can we just establish something upfront? Preeti sucks. If there’s one thing I love about chefs, even mediocre chefs, it’s their knifework. It might take me 5 minutes to cut a tomato, but it will take a good chef 15 seconds flat. It takes Preeti an hour and 12 minutes. I timed her once."

Reality TV World with Toby's words on Kevin: "'I thought Kevin's dish was again disappointing and -- don't get me wrong, I think he's on the fast-track to becoming a culinary superstar -- but he had a bad night,' said Toby."

Videogum on what we all want: "If there is one thing you can say about this season finale (I'm sure there is only one thing, this is probably the last sentence of this recap), there is no one to root against. For probably the first time in Top Chef history, everyone in the finale is a chef performing at the top of his tattoos game. Each of them brings a different quality to the kitchen, and it would be great if all of them could win. Just kidding. TEAR EACH OTHER TO SHREDS. I'm not here to watch people make friends."

Omnivore on history repeating itself: "'Top Chef' has a history of choosing two types of characters for the win. Save for maybe season four’s Stephanie whose soft spoken personality and consistent cooking were endearing, the winners have all fallen into two categories: boring (ie, Hosea) or villain (ie, Hung). While I don’t think that personality has much to do with the final decision – I’ll give 'Top Chef' a little more credit than that – it is frustrating to see Michael and his surly personality win over two equally talented chefs whose egos are a little less overbearing."

Food and More (Atlanta Journal Constitution) toasts everyone: "Here’s to you, Michael Voltaggio. Now, will you please be nice to your brother? And here’s to you, Bryan Voltaggio. And Kevin Gillespie! Jen! Other Jen with the seitan! Eli! Hector! Pin-mouth girl! Maligned Robin who is not Eli’s mom! Pretti of Google! Eve from Planet Michigan! Ron of the tropical fish piles! Ash and Ashley, boy and girl! Monsieur Mattin who cornered the market on kerchiefs! Various other cooks I no longer recall!"

Limecrete with more on history: "I can appreciate a meritorious winner, but it's nice when the victor also has an enjoyable personality, and in six seasons of this show, that has happened twice. Not exactly the best track record, in that regard."

Procrastiblog on the lesson future cheftestants should take away: "I think the lesson of Kevin’s two part finale experience is that Top Chef is not the place for slow-cooked meats. It seems to me that you rarely get the time you need in an elimination challenge to properly cook a brisket or a pork belly (though, Shyamalan twist, Michael won with a pork belly back in the Thunderbirds episode)."

Everything is Better With Bacon on It

This was brought to my attention by the lovely Vavi.

Top Chef: Hungry Ladies - watch more funny videos

Top Chef Las Vegas Reunion Previews

Michael Voltaggio on the Tonight Show

If you missed Michael with Conan O'Brien Thursday night, then check him out right here.

Top Recipe, Top Chef Las Vegas Finale Part 2

Check out Brian Malarkey's version of Michael's rockfish dish here.

Exit Interview - Winner Michael Voltaggio

Exit Interview - Bryan Voltaggio

Exit Interview - Kevin Gillespie

TC News & Information 12.11.2009

The blog Heavenly Truth did astrology charts for all three Top Chef finalists. Kevin's can be found here. Bryan's here, and finally...Michael's. Did the stars reveal the winner?

The Baltimore Sun wants to know if competing on Top Chef is a blessing or a curse.

The Washington Post hosted a live chat with the Voltaggio Brothers on December 9th. You can read the transcript here.

Aww...Kevin and his wife broke up before the trip to Napa. Did that have an effect on his performance?

Century City and ironnori™ proudly introduce the BREADBAR | HATCHI Series: 8 Dishes at 8 Dollars. This unique venture features a different guest chef every month preparing an original, one-night-only suite of eight plates, including six 'savory' dishes and two 'sweet' creations. Former Top Chef contestant Marcel Vigneron will be whipping up a modern, global tasting menu that will include POM Wonderful on 12/17/2009. Contact Breadbar for more details.