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Recap: 'Top Chef All-Stars' - 'Feeding Fallon'

The chefs cook for Jimmy Fallon â€“ but one chef lays it on too thick

By Liane Bonin Wednesday, Feb 9, 2011 11:46 PM

'Top Chef' judges Jimmy Fallon and Padma Lakshmi

Credit: Bravo

I love it when “Top Chef: All Stars” kicks things off by showing that, as much as we hope it’s just one big happy family of chefs on this show, some of the culinary divas kind of quietly hate one another. Case in point: Mike and Antonia. Mike can’t bring himself to congratulate Antonia on winning last week’s challenge with mussels. It’s a French dish! Well, French or not, the judges clearly liked it a whole lot more than Mike’s underdone pasta. Mike, clearly, is a sore, pouty loser. So we get to see Antonia and Mike quietly snipe at one another while Fabio tries to lighten the mood in his distinctly happy, Fabio way. It’s kind of like sitting down at another family’s uncomfortable Thanksgiving dinner or watching “The Real Housewives of Something Or Other.” Except I don’t think those women can cook. They’re too flammable.

[Full recap of Wednesday's (Feb. 9) "Top Chef All-Stars" after the break...]

Anyway, time for the Quickfire Challenge! Richard walks into the kitchen and sees fondue pots. He immediately starts thinking ‘70s bellbottoms, chunky soled shoes and nudity. Richard is sure his parents went to a nude fondue party. I’m hoping they didn’t, because fondue made up of cheese or hot oil and it can splatter. A party just isn’t fun with second and third degree burns on your private parts, no matter what decade it takes place in.

The chefs must make a modern fondue. And judge one another. No immunity, but they can win a three day trip to the Napa Valley. S’alright.

We watch the chefs whirl around the kitchen and occasionally explain their inspirations to the camera. Mike wants to tell us that he doesn’t remember no gay fondue parties from the ‘70s. Mike finds new and exciting ways to make himself more unlikable every week. Dale is making pho-ndue. Get it? Pho-ndue? That Dale! Richard is deconstructing the one thing Padma said not to do – chocolate dipped bananas. If anyone can get away with it, it’s Richard. But still, not a great idea, Richard. She isn’t judging, but you still might incur the wrath of Padma. Which sounds like a really fun comic book title.

The chefs slug back some white wine and taste away. Padma announces the losers first. The worst are Fabio (billini with caviar, crème fraiche, fromage blanc and bourdain wine), Tiffany (clunky apple ricotta fritters with chocolate) and Mike (icky spiced lamb kabobs with mint, chili and feta). On the top, Antonia (smoked salmon on toast, fromage blanc and crème fraiche fondue), Dale (pho with beef, bread, charred ginger, lime, Sriracha and broth) and Angelo (walnuts, endive with goat cheese fondue & beet juice shooter). No love for Richard? He says he scared his fellow chefs. He may be right.

The winner is… Dale. Because of his pho-ndue. It looked pretty good, but it looked like pho. Still, there must be something more exciting going on in there to get the win.

There’s no time for celebrations or scraping the fondue pots, as the chefs are ordered to go to Rockefeller Center. They immediately find themselves on stage. Surprise, surprise, they’re doing an edition of Cell Phone Shootout on Jimmy Fallon’s show, “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.” I guess there aren’t a lot of choices now that Conan’s in L.A.

The premise is simple – images of Jimmy’s favorite foods flash in front of the chefs, and they must shoot a picture using a cell phone. Whatever they photograph, they cook. Antonia shoots beef tongue. She’s never cooked beef tongue and I get the impression she doesn’t like beef tongue. Fabio gets hamburger with French fries. Better than beef tongue, right? No, Fabio has never made a hambooger before. For this I am greatful, because the way he says it makes me lose my appetitite. Carla gets chicken pot pie. She is SO excited! She loves chicken pot pie! She is jumping up and down and squealing! She’s been thinking about chicken pot pie all week! Carla needs sleep! Or less caffeine!

The chefs are warned to stay away from Jimmy’s least favorite foods: mushrooms, eggplant and mayo. C’mon, mushrooms? He just hasn’t had a good mushroom, sorry.

After Dale admires Angelo’s manly physique and preference for borderline girly clothes, the chefs hit the store and start cooking.

Angelo is making a sauce or something out of coffee, dill and some other stuff that sounds disgusting together. Oh honey, when you say “It sounds gross, I know, but I like it,” you make us worry. Richard tells Antonia how to cook her beef tongue. Mike thinks Richard is a little too helpful for his own good. I agree. Richard, if you have to tell her how to cook her dish and then she wins, she isn’t sharing her prize with you, FYI. It’s very nice of you, but cut it out!

Jimmy Fallon’s whole family arrives at the restaurant for Jimmy’s birthday lunch. Our judges are Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons and Jimmy Fallon.

First up, Antonia. She serves her beef tongue, pumpernickel rye, caramelized onions and dill slaw. Fabio made a hambooger with melted cheddar cheese sauce and fries. No one’s loving Fabio’s booger, which is kind of dry and meatloaf-y. Oh, and Tom thinks the cheese sauce is vomitous. Jimmy and Gail love the tongue. Insert suggestive joke here.

Richard goes for a traditional ramen. He thinks he can wow Jimmy without the bells and whistles. His dish is ramen noodles with seared pork belly, duck legs and a duck egg. Tiffany serves chicken, dumplings with poblano chiles, red peppers, cilantro and lime.

Jimmy, who’s a fan of Richards, was expecting a laser beam along with bells, whistles and a rocket to the moon. He is, of course, disappointed. He thought Tiffany’s soup was too spicy.

Carla runs squawking around the kitchen making her pot pie. But she delivers without having an embolism. She makes chicken pot pie with carrots, celery, pea salt & herbs. Dale does a Philly cheesesteak on a pretzel roll with hot sauce, onions and cheddar cheese sauce. Jimmy thinks Dale’s sandwich is too salty. Tom likes Carla’s pot pie too much to comment. Jimmy loves it, too. I smell a winner!

Angelo serves up a pulled pork sandwich with coffee, dill, allspice and chipotle rub and coleslaw. This has to taste better than it sounds, because it sounds like something you’d pull out of your garbage disposal. Mike made sausage, peppers, onions, garlic, fennel and paprika in what appears to be a microwave TV dinner dish. Jimmy declares Angelo’s pork a home run. Gail loves Mike’s thin cut vegetables. At this point I realize that, in his attempts to comment on the dishes, Jimmy’s head writer only seems to tell poop and penis jokes. This does not make me want to watch Jimmy Fallon’s show. Ever. Especially because Jimmy seems to think everything he says is REALLY funny. Wow. It’s nice to know some people really can use everything they learned on the playground in fifth grade and make a living.

Jimmy reveals that he loves ice cream cake and the winner will get a cooking spot on his show. Which also means a trip to New York, and that’s really the better prize.

Padma calls back Carla, Antonia and Angelo. See, Richard? You helped Antonia right into the winner’s circle! Good karma but it won’t get you $200 grand! The judges swoon over Carla’s dish, but what’s interesting is how Tom gives Antonia a pat on the head for making tongue so quickly – and she NEVER MENTIONS THAT RICHARD TOLD HER HOW TO DO IT.

The winner is… Carla. And she gets a trip to Tokyo! Nice!

Next, the judges request Tiffany, Fabio and Dale. They declare that Tiffany’s dumplings were too thin, Fabio’s booger was too meatloaf-y and Dale’s sandwich was a salty nightmare. Jimmy seems appalled by the fact Dale clearly didn’t taste his food. I’m kind of appalled, too. Dale may be one of the stronger chefs, but he’s been screwing up – and this seems like a no brainer. Too salty? Seriously?

But Fabio, not Dale, will be going home. He tells Jimmy he will cook a booger for him in the future and make him beg for forgiveness, because that booger will be so darn good! Fabio, I’m sure that’s true, but please, never say hambooger again. Fabio is sad to leave, but being Fabio, he takes the bad news in stride and gives everyone big Italian hugs. I’m a little sad to see Fabio go, especially because I think his food this week was a little better than Dale’s and his food every week is better than Mike’s, but oh well.

I love that they’re cooking for Cookie Monster and Elmo next week. And they’re cooking at Target. It’s gonna be one crazy Top Chef!

Do you think Richard should have helped Antonia? Do you think Fabio deserved to pack his knives and go? And what do you think Elmo eats?

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Jeff W

Am I the only one that thinks Richard is overrated? He's like the Justin Bieber of cooking. No talent, but use all sorts of gadgets to modulate what your producing, make it look really cool in presentation, and everyone oohs and aahs over it. This week, he tried to just cook, and came out with a mediocre dish. He's basically a Wiley Dufresne wannabe, except without as much creativity, and with an unjustified ego.

I'm very sad to see Fabio go. I didn't think he'd make it to the end, but he always has some funny comments or actions each week to lighten the mood.
February 10, 2011 at 10:40AM EST Reply to Comment
RG

One of the things I like most about Richard is that he treats the others like colleagues, not competitors. He may win, he may not, but he's clearly the most professional and mature. It's also clear that the other chefs have a lot of respect for him. He helped Antonia out with a tip or two, but it's not like he cooked her dish. I have no problem with that.
February 10, 2011 at 12:41PM EST Reply to Comment
- illin Does anyone think that since this is the second time around for these contestants, that some of them are more aware of what helping versus being a jerk will look like on television? I wonder if it makes any difference after the fact since these chefs will still need to get or keep jobs once the show is over. I would think acting like an idiot or not helping people/sobotaging others would not come off too well for any aspiring chef.
  February 10, 2011 at 1:44PM EST
- eriklk Illin: Richard actually wrote about this on his fabulous Top Chef blog during season 5:
  
  "What the contestants donâ€™t realize is whatâ€™s about to happen. And I donâ€™t mean in next weekâ€™s episode. After the show is airing some of them will start getting phone calls and e-mails. The offers will range from chef positions to speaking engagements. And more television work, from special guest appearances to pitching your own treatments. But not as much for those who personally presented themselves poorly. The ones who rant in the stew room or shave people's heads. The ones who disrespect the distinguished guest judges or bad-mouth the hosts in People magazine. The ones who quit and toss their equipment may not get those new opportunities.
  
  There are two rewards you get from being on Top Chef. One is an egg. Itâ€™s a $100,000 egg. One chef gets it each season. The other is a chicken. And some of these chefs donâ€™t realize that chickens make eggs."
  
  http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/blogs/richard-blais/chicken-and-caviar?page=0,1
  
  Anyway, good episode. Jimmy Fallon was fun and super-duper-nice, almost too much, actually. I have no problem with Fabio going home, even if I had hoped that Tiffany would go. Her food might taste great, but in general it doesn't present well on television (by that I mean not only visual appearance, but also interesting concepts, exciting pairings of ingredients etc.) and she's not a fun cheftestant to watch. She also seems a bit tired (this season started shooting shortly after the finale of the previous season) and I don't think she's going much further.
  
  I hope Dale can pull himself together. He has been dominant during the first half of the season, just as he was on the Chicago-season, but he's very close to getting booted off again. I think he definitely belongs in the final four along with Blais, Angelo, Carla, and Antonia (which is a bit of a problem). Sorry, Mike.
  
  I agree Richard isn't the powerhouse he's sometimes made out to be (even by his competitors on the show). He has time-management problems and is too hung up on wit and conceptualizing, often caring more about what to call a dish than how it eats. On the other hand, I think it's fair to assume that the best meal he's ever cooked is better than the best meal any of the other All-Stars have cooked.
  
  I don't think it's fair to claim he's not a good chef because he isn't great outside of his own genre of "Modernist Cuisine". Carla isn't great when she's not making comfort food in a French or American tradition, Angelo or Dale aren't great if they can't use Asian flavors or techniques, and so on. That's natural. The point is to not suck when you're out of your element, so that you can survive and shine later. That's the part Fabio didn't achieve. If it had been Top Gnocchi, he'd be champion without breaking a sweat (I'm more skeptical of Jamie's chances in Top Scallops).
  
  Also, Fabio didn't say "booger", he said "boor-ger", pronouncing the 'u' in Italian. I'm also pretty sure he did it to be cute. I'm glad he lasted so long, because he's great fun, but also glad he didn't make it to the end, because he's not *that* good.
  February 13, 2011 at 12:59AM EST
Smitty

Richard can make lovely food. However, he can get caught up in the technique and forget that food is about flavor and enjoyment (which is why it's telling that he won the Mizrahi challenge that was about how food looks rather than tastes). This was a problem for some of his prior restaurant ventures - liquid nitrogen is nice, but I'd like something tasty.
The chefs may talk about not being helpful, but most of them are regularly helping each other in the kitchen, trading ingredients, tasting one another's food, etc.
I do think Richard is a professional, is grown up enough and quite frankly thinks he's a good enough chef not to act like he needs to be involved in trickery or jerkishness to screw over other contestants. He truly believes his food will be better on its own merit and he doesn't need to hide the ball in order to win.
February 10, 2011 at 1:23PM EST Reply to Comment
Caryn

Love this recap. It's almost as good as watching the show!
February 10, 2011 at 1:49PM EST Reply to Comment
SlowFame

Having eaten at Richards restauraunt in ATL the guy knows what he is doing. He seems very focused and competitive but his personality of helping other chefs and making the overall food better for everyone seems to get in his way of just letting people flounder if they arent as prepared as him. Hoping he gets his edge back.
February 10, 2011 at 2:51PM EST Reply to Comment
Kathleen

I think they all could take a clue from Carla. She makes good food without a lot of "bells and whistles" I feel they really underestimate the women. I know Dale is supposed to be one of the "favorites', but he hasn't done so well and Richard seems over-rated, although a nice person. I want to see Carla take home the prize!!
February 10, 2011 at 3:14PM EST Reply to Comment
- I will say, Carla's food almost always looks yummy -- and she's a hoot. Or should I say, hootie-hoo.
  February 10, 2011 at 5:04PM EST
rebecca

does anyone know a free link where u can watch this episode i cant find one
February 10, 2011 at 5:44PM EST Reply to Comment
jen

I honestly don't get all the love for Fabio. I think he's probably the best restaurateur of all of them, if not the same level of chef, but I find him kind of skeevy and grating and a bit of a douche. Why does everyone find this charming and amusing?
February 17, 2011 at 4:31PM EST Reply to Comment

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Recapping Television's Hottest Shows with Monkeys as Critics