After weeks of challenges that forced chefs to do things like use microwaves and shop in convenience stores, the cooking got serious in the second half of the Top Chef finale and the two finalists, Harold and Tiffani, were finally asked to show the judges their full range of culinary abilities - sans gimmicks. Working separate kitchens at the MGM Grand, Harold and Tiffani had to create 5-course tasting menus to feed eight prestigious judges.
There was only one twist to the episode. Since both chefs needed help to prepare their meals, Dave, Stephen, LeeAnne and Miguel were brought back in to help out. Instead of assigning them to one of the chefs, they were asked to pick whose team they would prefer to be on. Dave, LeeAnne and Miguel all said they wanted to cook for Harold, while Stephen picked Tiffani. Judging from his comment of "Let's keep things interesting" when he said Tiffani's name, it was clear that he would rather have worked with Harold, but recognized that someone would have to be on Tiff's team. Harold, forced to choose between Dave and Miguel, had them draw knives to see what team they would join and Dave ended up with Stephen and Tiffani.
Harold planned his menu and wine pairings with the help and input of Miguel and LeeAnne. He knew that they wanted to help him, but would be more dedicated to the cooking process if they were cooking some of their own dishes. He ended up with a fairly "safe" menu that played to his strengths, as well as to Miguel and LeeAnne's. Harold cooked first and, to avoid having to stand in front of the judges for an extended period of time, wrote out a menu to place on the table. His menu included:
- Seared Scallops with Blood Oranges
- Olive Oil Poached Bass
- Pan Roasted Quail with Foie Gras and Cherries
- Duo of Kobe Beef and Beef Short Ribs
- Fig Tart with Three Cheeses
The judges included Lorraine Bracco, whose wines had to be paired with every course, Michael Mina, Hubert Keller, Drew Nienporent and Dona Cowan, in addition to Gail, Tom and Katie. They liked all the dishes, but found the bass to be underseasoned and Katie got a bad cut of the fish. Hands down, their favorite dish was the beef duo. The judges also thought that the three cheeses selected with the fig tart were outstanding. Overall, they thought the menu was fairly conservative, but well-executed, with a good progression from course to course, and that all the wine pairings were good. When the judges asked who he cooked for, he said that he tried to please both himself and the client.
Tiffani, on the other hand, went the "innovative" route, preparing 10 courses instead of 5. She told her team members what she wanted done. Stephen had to try to pair the wines with her pre-selected menu items and Dave volunteered to do the desserts using the recipes that he had prepared for himself to use in the finals. She instructed Dave and Stephen not "to talk at all in the kitchen" as they worked, though they did show up a bit hung over and continued to drink while cooking for her. This did not seem to have a negative impact on her dinner because she insisted on doing most of the work herself. Her menu included:
- Seared Scallops with Ramps and Squid Ink Reduction/Scallop Crudo with Citrus
- Artichoke "Risotto"/Crispy Fried Artichokes with Dip
- Steamed or Crispy Branzino
- Saltimbocca/ Veal with Minted Peas and Spinach
- Bread Pudding / Passion Fruit Panna Cotta each with a cocktail pairing
The judges said that they didn't get the "duality" theme that Tiff tried to explain to them. Unlike Harold, she went out with each course to explain its components, prompting all of the judges to complain that the food was getting cold while they waited for her to finish talking. There was one misstep with the wines on Tiffani's menu, but it seemed clear that she would have been in deeper trouble if Stephen hadn't been there, given that she has had problems with wine pairings in the past. The judges loved the faux "risotto, " declaring that it was the best dish of the night, and were very impressed that the wines paired so well with the artichokes. The branzino course was a "disaster" and both the scallop and veal courses were good but unimpressive. The desserts (prepared by Dave) and cocktails (prepared by Stephen), on the other hand, were raved about. When asked who she cooked for, Tiffani said that she cooks for herself.
At this point, I'll mention that the viewers were able to phone in their votes for who should win and 93% wanted Harold to win.
At the final judges' table, the sous chefs were called in to discuss the meal. Stephen commented that he was impressed by Tiffani's choice of such an ambitious menu and both he and Dave noted that Dave did all the desserts. LeeAnne and Miguel said that it was wonderful to work with Harold and they supported him as best they could. All four picked Harold as their choice to win.
At last, Harold and Tiffani were called in to the judging table. Tiffani tried to take all the credit for Dave's dessert, saying that he had executed her ideas perfectly. She declared that she should win because she is a risk taker. Harold said that he should win because he was a consistent performer and is a "top chef" because he can inspire people to want to work for him, since it is impossible to run a restaurant alone.
Harold won.
Though Tiffani's high points were higher than Harold's, her lows were lower. It looks as though she is very talented, but less focused on what her personal style is than Harold, who knows what he can do best and does it. Harold was the right pick, but we probably won't be seeing the end of Tiffani, whose ambition is sure to take her on to culinary success.
Cakes so amazing they'd be hard to cut into
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Morbid thoughts? Have a cookie
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-25-2006 @ 10:16AM
tr said...
i like how earlier, tiffani said how much she has changed as a person after seeing how she was portrayed on tv. but that was all a bunch of crap, because she didn't change at all. i mean, stephen and dave were getting plastered because they had to work with such a bitch. think about that...stephen and dave were buddy-buddy, drinking like old friends. only someone like tiffani can bring two people together like that.
harold's a cool guy, i'm glad he won. he had a good point about inspiring others to work with him. also, i laughed out loud when they showed that viewer poll on who should win...7%? that's it? that's all that tiffani got? crazy.
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5-25-2006 @ 10:43AM
Tanya said...
Thanks goodness for your recap, because I disconnected my cable prior to moving and this is the one show that I truly missed!
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5-25-2006 @ 10:44AM
Denise said...
I really wanted Dave to be in the top two but since he
wasn't I think its ironic that the dish best raved about for Tiffani was the deserts and cocktails. Then she LIED and said they were hers and she did them herself. Changed person. I dont think so. And if you want to be a chef and cook for others to enjoy seems to me that Harold had the right response. You dont want to compromise what you want out of a dish but you want the expectations of the "customer" met also.
Glad Harold won. Think he's got the dignity and heart
needed to succeed.
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5-25-2006 @ 12:47PM
Lorri said...
I, too, am glad that Harold won. He appears to be an all-around nice guy. As far as Tiffani goes--I believe she got what she deserved. She was horrible to everyone and then wanted them to support her. She was caught in so many lies throughout the contest and then cried that no one liked her. Integrity is a big plus. That woman has none. I hope that Dave was able to find another job. He deserves it. I saw a link to a Resort in Laguna Beach which is promoting their new Executive Chef--David Martin. I hope it is the one and the same Dave.
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5-25-2006 @ 2:14PM
ln said...
Kudos Harold, well deserved! Tiffany is something else. She knew she was being taped, why lie? Because that is what she does...she is a snake sssssssssss. She went on to say she consulted with Dave extensively on the dessert. Extensively? It should have been Harold & Dave in the run off. Tiffany, REVIEW THE TAPES, you have much work to do in the personality department. Very nice to see Stephen humble up at the reunion.
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5-25-2006 @ 8:39PM
nika said...
Yay for Harold! Much deserved. SO glad that Dave got to shine in the end. Tiffany's downfall could not have been written better. it was all about her kharma if there was ever a case for kharma!
Honestly, she has got to one in a large crowd of relatively competent chefs, why should someone hire her with that crap attitude? she just makes me wanna say "shut up and cook, it aint about you its about the food"
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5-26-2006 @ 12:49AM
Pat said...
It should have been Harold and LeeAnne in the runoff, let's be honest. Those were the top two chefs on the show in my mind.
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5-26-2006 @ 11:08AM
Tina said...
So glad Harold won. I wanted to punch Tiffany in the head for saying it was her dessert!! Did she not know the cameras were running the whole time and caught them discussing everything including her telling Dave to run with the dessert? Geez, what a lieing bitch!! I hope she never finds a job as a head chef and ends up someone's bitch.
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5-27-2006 @ 1:09PM
Tammy said...
Im so glad Harold won it, I cant believe Tiffany the bitch that she is beat out LeAnne in the first place! CONGRATS to Harold he was my fave from the beginning followed by LeAnne. I stopped watching the show when Tiffany beat out LeAnne, Tiffany could never be a head chef because she doesnt inspire people to work with her.
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5-27-2006 @ 8:58PM
Jen A. said...
I also thought Tiffany was just plain horrible! She always looked like she smelled something bad. Dave was funny, light, a good sport. LeAnne should have been in the finals instead of Tiff. She also had a big heart and her dishes looked yummo. I thought Harold was going to win from the beginning. He was the most calm, just there to cook, great food. Also, I love Tom Colicchio, the top chef judge. He was my fave!
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5-28-2006 @ 11:04AM
Angela Pitt said...
I knew Harold would win from the very beginning of
of watching Top Chef. I was so pleased that he did. GREAT JOB HAROLD! I wanted LeAnn to be a finalist.
As for Tiffani? She got her just desserts!
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5-28-2006 @ 3:43PM
Kathleen said...
I agree with the rest...Tiff got what she deserved. What a boitch for taking Daves dessert! Changed..I think not. It says on the Bravo website that she currently is a server.hah! I think she will get a taste of 'just desserts'. I am sure she was one of those cooks in the back of the house that treated waitstaff poorly.
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5-29-2006 @ 5:44PM
Leigh Hoffiman said...
I watched every episode......and I agree, Harold was the best....consistently and I liked the way he handled criticism.....it did well....and his dishes were beautiful....even the salmon which got shot down by the wedding guests.....what do they expect....a grocery store is not a puryeror.....and the quality in not the same....but the chefs did their best.....also Lee Ann is amazing......and of course, I love Dave......I know he is going places.......I will miss the show....
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5-31-2006 @ 1:50PM
Marica Bruce said...
Any way we could have a follow up on those involved in the finale (except Harold - we know what he's doing)? Especially Dave, Tiffani and Stephen, all of whom seem to be the most "up in the air." Dave mentioned a cookbook, merchandising (is he getting a piece of the "I'm not your bitch, Bitch" t-shirt sales?) on the Today show before leaving for Cannes.
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6-02-2006 @ 4:15PM
John said...
I'm wondering if the networks can put aside their differences and have Harold on Iron Chef? That would be cool. As for Tiffani, it's a great lesson for children to learn where lies and deceit get you in life. I hope she works on being a better person. What's the point of being talented if everyone hates you?
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