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Wednesday, June 11, 2008
6/12: Richard Blais loses “Top Chef,” some Dagmar Midcap backlash
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Chicago’s Stephanie Izard edged out Atlanta’s Richard Blais (right) for the fourth season of Bravo’s “Top Chef.” She’s the first female to win it all.
Atlanta’s Blais, with a faux hawk and a genial demeanor, came into that final episode as the favorite to win, having won four times and landing at the bottom just once. Stephanie also won four but had been at the bottom three times. Lisa Fernandes won just a single elimination challenge and had been in the bottom a whopping six times including four weeks in a row. Nobody (except perhaps Lisa herself) thought she would win — and she didn’t.
Blais seemed unfocused during prep and several of his dishes didn’t quite achieve what he wanted. “This is a disappointment, almost being there,” he said after he was nixed. “Losing at the last second sucks. You put your whole heart into it, then it doesn’t work out. One thing that is good about this is to refocus and keep doing what I love to do. The future is bright, that’s for sure.”
“Lots on the line for me and my career,” Blais said at the top of the hour. “There’s more at stake than my personal failure. This is for my wife. I have a baby on the way, a new house. I have everything to lose in this competition.”
He is as boggled as the rest of us that Lisa Fernandes is still around. “Lisa’s got a bad attitude,” he notes. “I don’t think Lisa deserves to win ‘Top Chef.’ “
Lisa: “I’m in the finale. I managed to get through with the skin of my teeth. I don’t care that Stephanie and Richard have won a bunch of eliminations and I won one. You know - I’m going to beat you!”
Blais’ toughest competition is Stephanie, who has provided a steady hand and sharp culinary chops. She often surprised the judges with interesting and tasty combinations. Lisa has shown occasional flashes of brilliance but has mostly exhibited a major chip on her shoulder and an odd paranoia, one week thinking someone deliberately messed with her pasta.
The final challenge is to do a four-course meal: fish, poultry, red meat and dessert. Neither Steph nor Lisa are thrilled by the prospect of being forced to do meat.
Since both Steph and Richard won the same number of challenges, they did a basic coin toss to pick a sous chef. Steph got first pick and takes Chef Eric Ripert of the Le Bernardin Restaurant, Richard hooks up with Chef Dan Barber of Blue Hill and by default, Lisa gets Chef April Bloomfield of The Spotted Pig.
Dinner is a black-tie affair for nine diners with seven hours to prep. Lisa opts for Asian, although April admits she isn’t well known for that genre. RIchard goes thematically with “my journey.” “Showing some classic training as well as molecular gastronomy. It’s not that we don’t know what the hell we’re doing. We just got this challenge a few seconds ago. Waiting for that lightning bolt.”
Stephanie is just trying to show off her style of cooking, “different flavor combinations, just be real well balanced.”
Each chef got to bring one special request. Richard brought liquid nitrogen, not a common item to use in cooking. He is trying tabasco sauce ice cream as a garnish with oysters via the nitrogen. (Huh?) “Never seen the technique,” Ripert said. “That’s [freakin’] cool!” Blais said. Lisa pooh poohs this as “overthinking things.”
Lisa is feeling she’s connecting well with her sous chef April. Richard still doesn’t have his menu fully conceived by the end of day one.
Day two twist: sous chefs are gone. They’re on their own. Lisa said she’s going for big bold, bright and in your face flavors. The menu: grilled prawns, tom kha gai soup & dumplings, wagyu beef and thai rice pudding.
Richard wants to tell a story. “It’s not just about electric nitrogen and electric smokers,” he said. He opens with scallops, then guinea hen, foie gras and eggs, a third course of pork belly, then banana “scallop” and bacon ice cream.
Stephanie opts to open with seared red snapper, then quail with lobster ravioli and quail egg, followed by medallions of lamb and a dessert of ricotta poundcake. (She would have preferred another fish dish instead of dessert.)
Richard tells judge and guru Tom Collicchio that things aren’t fully sorted out, “a little abstract.” He seems a bit scattered. Stephanie is much calmer, hoping her dessert works out. Lisa is in good spirits. “Richard is usually calm but seems very excited,” Tom said. “His Achilles Heel is he may be doing too much.”
Richard is using the nitrogen for his bacon ice cream but dumps the day one idea. Steph is still unsure about the cake and Lisa is skeptical that it’s so bad. “Stop doubting yourself!” Lisa said. She’s confident. Richard and Steph? Not so much.
“I’m the only one who is a craftsman and an artist. I want to prove it’s not just in my head,” Richard said before the meal.
“I’ve come this far and will definitely be the first female ‘Top Chef,’ ” Lisa said. “This is it—meal of a lifetime,” said the less introspective Stephanie.
Meal course #1: Most liked Richard’s scallop with mango and pineapple vinegar. Judges seemed to like it though one said it was too complex. Judges generally liked Lisa’s prongs though one thought the chili heat was too strong. Stephanie’s red snapper is considered the best of the trio. Round one: Stephanie
Lisa does a coconut soup, which was well loved, well balanced. Steph’s quail was good, too, but found the leeks undercooked and irrelevant. Richard has what came first: hen, chicken egg and foie gras, which may have been too complex. “This is him falling in love with the technique,” Collicchio said. Round two: Lisa
Lisa’s goes for some waygu beef, but it lacks tenderness and the sauce is too sweet. Judges absolutely loved Steph’s medallions of lamb. Richard’s pork belly, real simple (for him) got so-so ratings and considered underseasoned. Round three: Stephanie
Richard is toast, isn’t he?
Anyway, the judges really enjoyed Lisa’s thai rice pudding. Richard finally got it right with his bacon ice cream. Stephanie’s cake was nice and moist but unrefined. Round four: Lisa or Richard. Close.
Stephanie won the viewer’s poll, too.
-It’s been almost a week with me not mentioned WGCL weather forecaster Dagmar Midcap. Shame on me! Anyway, fellow blogger and former WAGA-TV newscaster Doug Richards, initially wary of mentioning her name on his Live Apartment Fire blog, threw caution to the wind Tuesday and did a big essay on her here, largely defending her.
We’re kinda rooting for Midcap. True, she’s no meteorologist. But she’s a personality, and WSB has topped the ratings for decades on the strength of one woman’s personality. Midcap has a certain amount of natural talent. She appears to be bright enough to conjure up and deliver a forecast. She appears to have a pulse. If the choice is between her and Glenn Burns- and there’s no severe weather threatening- why not Midcap?
But alas, the daggers came out in the comments section, where a distinct anti-Dagmar tone emerged (his readers or commenters, at least, appear to be mostly in-the-business types):
Dagmar is a “weathergirl”, just like the stereotypes of the 50’s and 60’s. With her knowledge and credibility (extreme lack of both), she is a turnoff, especially with her breathless delivery. - Steve
Sadly, another example of how hard work ultimately does not matter. Ms.Midcap may have worked her tail off to get this far, but that is not why she is where she is. We all know that. But hey, enjoy the glory Dagmar. Take it when you can. You may be the first to get canned - TravisBickle
Folks, she’s NOT translating into ratings. T and A does not work in Atlanta. The 11pm show went from 3rd place to 4th in May. THAT should tell you something. - Ima Believer
You’d think being in a top 10 market they could find someone who is both a meteorologist and good looking person. - Craptastic
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6/11: Local couple wins “Today” show “Race to the Altar”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Metro Atlanta engineers LaDonna Bradford and Darnell Suggs won a free wedding this morning, courtesy of NBC’s “Today Show.”
They outlasted four other couples, putting together an aggressive campaign to curry votes, sending email blasts to a thousand of their closest friends and working this publication and her hometowns of Tuskegee and Auburn, Ala. to get media coverage. The wedding is set for June 25 at Rockefeller Center.
The pair had originally planned an April 2009 wedding but heck, if it’s free and in front of national cameras, why not get it done now? It’s certainly a story to tell the kids.
NBC said about a quarter million votes were tallied though I don’t think they mentioned how wide a margin Bradford and Suggs won by. The public next week will vote for the wedding dress, the bridal gowns, the groomswear, the ring and the honeymoon.
“We’re definitely excited!” LaDonna said this afternoon after getting the marriage license. “Whatever America chooses we’ll be happy with.”
But the couple does have some modest control. For instance, they get to pick the 175 guest list for the reception, who will be in the bridal and grooms’ parties and what songs and dances can be used at the reception. NBC provides the band and wedding reception locale, along with the videographer and photographer. They won the final challenge last week and took home a raft of prizes, including a washer and dryer.
LaDonna said her mom Jackie rented her first apartment many years ago from syndicated radio host Tom Joyner’s parents. So she used that connection to get Joyner to lobby them votes on his show, which is heard by more than 8 million listeners a week. That certainly didn’t hurt their cause.
-In other reality news, Atlanta rapper Ms. Cherry lost Monday night in VH1’s “Miss Rap Supreme,” coming in third place behind winner Rece Steel and runner up Byata.
And tonight, we’ll find out how local Atlanta chef Richard Blais does on Bravo’s “Top Chef.” I’ll be live blogging.
