Over at weeklystandard.com I offer my take on the latest episode of Top Chef. On the phone I spoke with the boisterous Carla Pellegrino who for 13 years was married to Frank Pellegrino Jr. of Rao’s (his father, the owner of Rao’s, had a cameo in Goodfellas—he was cooking the steaks in prison). Don’t even get her started on squab. Chrissy Camba, meanwhile, had been sent packing for an overdressed salad. But as the Chicago chef explained, she took to heart the dressing’s description by the restaurant’s owners. And considering the menu was supposed to be a throwback to the 1950s, shouldn’t the salad dressing probably be thick?
I forgot to mention Kuniko Yagi’s comeback on Last Chance Kitchen. “I need to convince [Tom Colicchio] I know how to cook potato,” she declared, and she did. Chrissy Camba thinks Kuniko will go a long way on LCK.
But wait! Even losers on Last Chance Kitchen have a shot at returning if fans tweet or text their support. When do the chefs return? It’s unclear, but between the surprise of former Top Chef contestants C.J. and Josie reentering the kitchen, the Last Chance Kitchen itself, and fan favorites making comebacks, I’m beginning to wonder if anyone is actually packing their knives. (In fact, losing chefs stay at an “Eliminated Cast House” as the competition continues—at least according to this webisode.)