Top Chef 4

• With their meaty texture, mild brine and vivid hue, Castelvetranos have become this year's olive of choice. — San Francisco Chronicle
• If you think organic food is safer, think again. — New York Times
• Make an authentic Roman spaghetti alla carbonara at home. — Boston Globe
• Kitchen twine is one tool no home cook should be without. — Los Angeles Times
• Find out what the creators of Open That Bottle Night enjoyed on its 10th anniversary. — Wall Street Journal
• 5 unusual recipes that call for nine items or fewer. — Washington Post
• Top Chef 4 winner Stephanie Izard has a weekly video podcast. — Chicago Tribune

What do you do when your 15 minutes of Top Chef fame have ended and the latest crop of cheftestants are the talk of the town? Well, you take a tip from season 4's Jen Biesty and go back to the kitchen. Not just any kitchen, but a well regarded kitchen in one of the busiest parts of town. Chef Biesty is currently the executive chef at San Francisco's Scala's Bistro. Located off of the bustling Union Square, Scala's Bistro has been catering to tourists for the past 14 years. Biesty took over the kitchen in October and recently debuted a new menu. Last week I dined at the classic San Francisco bistro. It's not a hotspot or overly trendy, but an old time San Francisco place with dusty rose lighting and a welcoming atmosphere. To find more out about the experience, read more

• Hosting a New Year's Eve party? Use this drink calculator to determine how much alcohol you'll need. — Evite
• A soup recipe for every season. — The Kitchn
• Learn how to make the classic Champagne cocktail. — Cookthink
• From cocktails to dinners to dessert, here are ten recipes that use vodka. — Chow
• Barley risotto is healthy and delicious. — Serious Eats
• Catch up with Top Chef Season 4 winner, Stephanie Izard. — The Epi-Log

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No contestant was eliminated on this week's episode of Top Chef, so I didn't get to interview the losing chef. Thus, I've decided it's a great time to take a look back at what happened on the show this year.

2008 was an exciting time for the reality competition: viewers got to indulge in two exciting seasons in two important cities — Chicago and New York.

We witnessed the crowning of the first female chef and watched what happened when Europeans were thrown into the mix. Here, I've rounded up my favorite moments from season four and the first half of season five.

• My crouton cooking lesson with Ryan Scott.
• Spike showing off his mad butchering skills.
• The return of Sam Talbot as a guest judge.
• Andrew's introduction of the phrase "culinary boner" to the food industry.
• Padma and Rocco together again: eating 16 deep-dish pizzas.
• The first competing couple.
• The ongoing, entertaining feud between Dale and Lisa.
• Gail's bridal shower!
• The contestants putting the competition aside to help Radhika and Hosea get their dishes done.

Did I forget something? What were your favorite Top Chef moments?

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In our Best of 2008 coverage, we asked you who your favorite cheftestant was this year. Between Top Chef, Next Food Network Star, and Hell's Kitchen, there was plenty of heat in the kitchen, but the results were clear: Stephanie Izard, the winner of Top Chef 4, won 29 percent of the vote! Yum is right with you: Stephanie was our favorite this year, too.

From the start, we loved Stephanie for being a great chef who kept it real. Despite her modesty, as the show progressed, she blew us away with her stunning dishes. We were thrilled when she became Top Chef's first ever female winner!

What are your reasons for loving her?

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Last week I had the wonderful opportunity of going into the kitchen at San Francisco's Mission Beach Cafe. Chef Ryan Scott, a competitor on this season's Top Chef, invited me in for a crouton cooking lesson. The friendly, good-looking chef told me about his re-creation of the menu and his hopes to build the restaurant's status. With his TC experience behind him, Scott is busy focusing on cooking and making culinary appearances.
His delicious food is comforting yet sophisticated, familiar yet complex. If you're in the Bay Area, I highly recommend checking out the cafe. His homemade croutons (found in everything from soups to salads) are the best I've ever tasted. If you aren't in the area, bring a little bit of Ryan into your home with this amazing crouton recipe.
Instead of writing out the recipe, Scott, a hands on chef, preferred to teach me personally how to make them. To go behind the scenes and learn how to make Chef Scott's scrumptious croutons, take a look at our exclusive video, and read more

In an attempt to make herself more likable, Lisa Fernandes, the Top Chef runner-up who everyone loves to hate, has made her first cooking video for Time Out New York. Sporting her fabulously boyish haircut, Lisa takes viewers inside the kitchen of the New York City restaurant where she works, Mai House. She promises to teach us how to make an entire Asian meal, complete with five dishes, for less than $20.

Although she's a little cold to the camera, I can't help but admire her culinary expertise, cooking technique, and confidence despite what others may think. What do you think? Watch the video below and let me know, is Lisa more likable now outside of the competition?

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Well folks with last night's reunion show, the fourth season of Top Chef has finally come to a close. What did you think of the reunion? Check out all of my questions and thoughts, and let us know what you thought of the special, as well as the whole season! All you have to do is, read more