Well, we reached the end of Top Chef Season 2! We can now stop speculating which chef is better than the other. Was the finale what you expected? Did you have money on the right candidate? Or did you just stop caring after last week?
The episode starts off with Marcel and Ilan frolicking on a beach in Hawaii. They eat fresh sea urchin for breakfast (which, although my opinion of sea urchin is not always high, I was crazy jealous of) and Marcel even gets stung by one and is forced to pee on his hand. At this point I need to stop the recap for a second and say that I have been tastefully avoiding this topic all season long, but really what was the whole Ilan wanting to pee on Marcel, how homo-erotic was that? And have you noticed it all season long?? - Okay back to recap.
The chefs are told they need to make a 5-course dinner for eight. They get to pick up their produce at a local farmer's market. They will then have four hours of prep time before heading to their respective restaurants where they will have one hour to cook. Ilan is cooking at Donatoni's Restaurant and Marcel will cook at Imari.
Full recap with big time spoilers ahead, including the WINNER, so read more
Before heading to the farmer's market, the finalists are greeted with ghosts from their past. Mike, Mia, Betty, Frank, Elia and Sam are there to be sous chefs. Surprisingly, half of them want to work with Ilan and the other half, Marcel. Marcel ends up choosing Sam, who convinces him to pick Mikey (which, no offense to Mikey, but really, you've a lot on the line and you pick the perpetually stoney-sounding Mikey??). Ilan chooses his BFF Elia and then Betty. Frank and Mia once again get sent packing.
Each chef needed to prepare a five course meal, for eight guests.
The guests were:
- The three regulars (Padma, Gail and Tom)
- Hubert Keller
- Michelle Bernstein
- Scott Conant
- Roy Yamaguchi
- Wylie Dufrense
The chefs both end up picking great produce (did you see those rambutans!?!) and built their recipes around what they saw. Ilan was up first and he served:
- Pincho of Pan Con Tomate with Angulas, Osetra Caviar & Tomatillos
- Macadamia Nut Gazpacho with Pan Roasted Moi
- Seared Squab with Foie Gras, Shrimp, Braised Leeks & Lobster Sauce
- Braised and Grilled Beef Short Ribs with Mushrooms & Romesco Sauce
- Tangelo Soup with Hawaiian Fruit, Surinam Cherry Sorbet & Bay Leaf Fritter
Overall the judges loved the meal, they thought the appetizer was okay, they LOVED the soup, thought the lobster sauce on the squab was great, wished they could get more from the short ribs, but were crazy for the dessert. From my vantage point, I thought the soup sounded great (I love gazpacho, so a macadamia nut gazpacho sounded even more delicious) and I definitely wanted to try the bay leaf fritter. Talk about a great infusion of sweet and savory!
Next up was Marcel. Now right from the beginning you knew this was going to be a disaster. They had talking head clips of Mikey and Sam talking about a hectic kitchen, and then the Bravo TV cameraman zoomed in on several trays left in the hotel fridge. Like I said, not a good sign. However Marcel still managed to pull out a great looking meal. He served:
- Sea Urchin & Meyer Lemon Gelee with Fennel Cream, Caviar & Kalamata Oil
- Cucumber and Radish Salad with a Citrus Yuzu Vinaigrette
- Hearts of Palm & Maitake Mushrooms with Kaffir Lime Sauce & Sea Beans
- North Shore Strip Loin with Garlic Puree, Crispy Taro Ball & Micro-Greens
- Blini with Kona Coffee Caviar & Hawaiian Chocolate Mousse
Like I mentioned earlier, there were a few snafus. Marcel's ingenious encapsulated vinaigrette teardrops didn't work due to the humidity and the fish for the third dish got left behind (lucky for Marcel, Sam was able to whip up an alternate dish). The judges, however, enjoyed the meal. They liked the texture of the urchin, they thought the salad was a bit weak, loved the balanced flavor of the sea beans, thought his beef was better than Ilan's and thought the blinis were whimsical and clever. From my point of view, I also thought the blinis looked fun, I couldn't figure out why on earth he would tell the judges that he forgot the fish, and I was saddened by the fact that his tear drops didn't work out.
Now for the judge's table. They liked everything and were split on whom to declare the winner, so they got some input from the sous chefs. Elia said Ilan should win because his food was superior (even if she didn't taste or see Marcel's), Mikey and Sam confessed that Marcel's kitchen wasn't run very well. Sam also took credit for the sea beans.
After much deliberation, the judges finally have a winner.
This year's Top Chef is Ilan Hall.
Were you surprised? I wasn't really, although I wouldn't have been surprised if Marcel won either.
Now for a few things to discuss:
- Marcel telling the judges he forgot the fish. Why would you do that?
- Even though Sam fixed the fish dish, he takes credit for the sea beans, but weren't the sea beans actually Marcel's idea? He said he was going to do fish with palm and sea beans
- Elia dissing Marcel - Really did she need to get so petty? I've lost a lot of respect for her.
- Were you as weirded out as I was about the whole urchins and peeing scene?
- Would you have chosen Mikey as a sous chef?
- Was the fish forgotten on purpose?
- At the end Marcel says, "I thought it was going to take more than saffron and paprika to beat me." My guy swears he said "f**king saffron." Did you hear it?
- Before declaring the winner Tom says, "One of you may go on to be the superior chef, but in the end our decision was based on who we believe to be the best chef right now." Do you think he believes Marcel will be a better chef than Ilan?
- Did you think the right person won?
Discuss!
Source: Bravo TV
Tom Tailor
Stila
Stella McCartney
I do think the right chef won. They are both talented chefs, but I think Ilan will run a kitchen more efficiently. Marcel doesn't do well in the power seat..
And.. WHAT?! MARCEL! NO FOAM!?! Hahaha.. I am sooo surprised he didn't break out any foam for the last plate!
1I didn't get to watch, but I'm not surprised really. I do wish that SAM had won. Man, after they sent him packing I just didn't care.
2The show is talented, but I didn't like either finalists. Of the two, though, I definitely think Marcel is the better cook. He just needs to work on his people skills.
3Ilan's food looked like crap and Marcel performed extremely poorly as well. Horrible ending.
I tivo'ed last night and watched the whole thing in about 20 minutes on fast forward.
I could easily out-cook Ilan - he is impressively unskilled. What was up with that horrible dessert?
4Even though the winner was leaked, I had to watch the show. I thought the right person won and I am very glad Marcel lost. He was cocky especially at the end with saffron and paprika comments!
5I love Marcel's plating. His presentation is gorgeous!
--Lauren--
6What a disappointment. They really sacrificed cooking quality for tv drama this season. I think Ilan won just because people would have rioted if they gave Top Chef honors to Marcel. I conceed how annoying he was, but man, did the other contestants let him get to them! Insecure much? I wouldn't say I was cheering for Marcel, but Ilan turned me off so much in the last three episodes. Grow up!
7I hated Marcel at first but he grew on me the last few episodes. Mostly because the others were so awful and I lost a lot of respect for them. The only one I cared about was Sam, and was very disappointed he got the boot. I didn't really care who won but I had gotten really sick of Ilan and Elia (who used to be my favorite next to Sam!) and was rooting for Marcel overall.
8I think that while Marcel seemed to be a gifted chef Sam was better.
I would have loved to have seen an Ilan and Sam finale. Marcel can't run a kitchen as no one can fit in the same room with his hair and ego in there too. Glad Ilan won - his dished seemed different yet something I'd actually eat. Marcel's ideas are a little out there.
9Marcel's ideas aren't that "out there"--he's basically regurgitating stuff Ferran Adria was doing 5-10 years ago (e.g. sodium alginate capsules, foams, etc.) Ilan basically ripped off the Casa Mono menu (the restaurant where he's a line cook) for all his challenges. Even though Marcel fell on his foams a lot of the time, his plating is always spot on and he takes risks with flavor combinations. His food would have been much more interesting to eat. Marcel is right when he says the food Ilan cooks is something you would learn in Skills 100. Braised meat with romesco sauce? Fine for a home cook, but not impressive for a Top Chef finale meal.
101. I think in the finale I would mention it. You know from last year when Tiffani didn't admit to her "assistance" from Frank on the dessert it counted against her quite a bit. So, being honest seems to be the way to go in the finale.
2. I was yelling "that was Marcel's idea!!!!" at the screen regarding the sea beans. I'm sure that came out in the lengthier version of the judges' table.
3. No respect for Elia. I had been rooting for her to win until she stabbed Marcel in the back. Disgusting behavior.
4. I wasn't weirded out that Marcel had to pee on himself, I was creeped out that Ilan seemed to want to pee on Marcel out of vengeance. Why does everyone want to be so friggin' mean to him?!
5. I counter with the question, "who would have been better to choose - Frank or Mia?" Mikey is a great sous-chef. Marcel had complete issue with Frank being abusive to him and Mia is a loose cannon. Mikey definitely can't hold his own, but he showed that he could take direction from others. I think I would have made the same decision.
6. Yes, I believe it was.
7. I watched Marcel's exit interview on bravotv.com and they bleeped him saying "f**king saffron".
8. Yes.
9. No. Especially now that I know Ilan has NO plans to use the money for starting his own restaurant. Que la f? Isn't that the whole point? (It is to me, but I'm not on the show...)
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