This second season of Bravo's Top Chef was certainly an interesting one, filled with lots of confrontations, characters and - of course - some exceptional food. The season finale aired last night, showing the last meals of both Ilan Hall and Marcel Vigneron, the two chefs with the rockiest relationship and the greatest desire to win.
As with last week's episode, the two chefs were facing off in Hawaii. They took a walk along the beach (possibly a forced walk) while the show opened and clips of them discussing their expectations were aired. As they walked, they picked some sea urchins out of the ocean and ate raw uni for breakfast. Marcel was stabbed by one of the urchins and informed by Ilan that he needed to pee on the wound to disinfect it. Ilan offered to do so for him ("I would have loved to pee on Marcel"), though Marcel politely declined. When they returned to the hotel, Chef Tom Colicchio told them what their final challenge would be.
To win, all they had to do was to cook the best meal that they had ever prepared.
Each dinner was to be a five course meal served to a group of 8 diners, made up of the judges and several famous chefs. Ilan was to prepare the first meal and Marcel would have second service. As with last season's finale, the chefs had their choice of former cast members as sous chefs. Ilan chose to work with Elia and Betty, while Marcel chose Sam and Michael.
Ilan's dinner was, as expected, Spanish. When asked by his sous chefs whether he was bringing enough of the flavor of their island setting into his food, he replied that the fact that the produce (selected from the local farmers' market with an unlimited budget) was grown in Hawaii was more than enough. His five courses were:
- Pincho of Pan Con Tomate with Angulas, Osetra Caviar & Tomatillos
- Macadamia Nut Gazpacho with Pan Roasted Moi
- Seared Squab with Foie Gras, Shrimp, Braised Leeks & Lobster Sauce
- Braised and Grilled Beef Short Ribs with Mushrooms & Romesco Sauce
- Tangelo Soup with Hawaiian Fruit, Surinam Cherry Sorbet & Bay Leaf Fritter
Marcel went with a more innovative approach to his dishes and, unlike Ilan, was very inspired by the island setting. He came up with his menu while he browsed at the farmers market and, as Michael mentioned, was very well organized during prep, coming up with lists so that everyone knew exactly what to work on. Marcel's courses were:
- Sea Urchin & Meyer Lemon Gelee with Fennel Cream, Caviar & Kalamata Oil
- Cucumber and Radish Salad with a Citrus Yuzu Vinaigrette
- Hearts of Palm & Maitake Mushrooms with Kaffir Lime Sauce & Sea Beans
- North Shore Strip Loin with Garlic Puree, Crispy Taro Ball & Micro-Greens
- Blini with Kona Coffee Caviar & Hawaiian Chocolate Mousse
The guest judges included Michelle Berenstein, Scott Conant, Wylie Dufresne, Roy Yamaguchi and Hubert Keller - an illustrious panel that, as Michelle pointed out, had tasted almost every combination of food, flavors and techniques that there were. They found Ilan's food to be a bit heavy, but well-executed overall. No one tasted anything that they hadn't before, and they even noted that it seemed like the dishes had been prepared many times by the chef before, but Ilan's strategy of playing to his strength (Spanish food) seemed to serve him well. The judges particularly enjoyed his Mac Nut Gazpacho, Seared Squab and Tangelo Soup.
Marcel's food, on the other hand, was described as being light and innovative. Almost every dish he put out, with the exception of his second course, was praised - and his success was in spite of the fact that Michael forgot to retrieve several key ingredients from the prep kitchen for the team. The beach-inspired first course was extremely well received, as was the Hearts of Palm dish, the Strip Loin (described as "perfect") and the whimsical dessert blini.
After everyone ate their fill, the judges called in the sous chefs to get their impressions of working for both Marcel and Ilan. Very predictably, they praised Ilan and slammed Marcel. Betty even went on a rant insisting that Marcel's food must have been horrible, in spite of the fact that she had neither seen nor tasted it. Needless to say, the judges didn't seem to take her (or any of them) all that seriously. They knew before they called them in how each o the other chefs felt about Marcel.
In their own deliberations, it came down to the fact that both chefs were outstanding. Marcel was a risk-taker and continually pushed the envelope. He said himself that it didn't matter if the meal he put out for judging was the best that he had cooked up to this point because he would always be aiming higher and pushing himself further. Ilan, on the other hand, took few risks and steadfastly stuck to his single area of expertise: Spanish cuisine. They seemed more impressed with Marcel and said that he would be the superior chef in the long run, but then turned around and named Ilan as Top Chef.
You can listen in on an interview with Ilan from Chow about his plans for the future. He says that he doesn't intend to open a restaurant with his $100, 000 any time soon and admitted that he expected them to give the title to Marcel.
Nothing to do but wait for season three and review the recaps of this past season:
Soy and chickpeas might help stroke victims
The world of pie and tart crusts
Starbucks launches the Piadini 
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-01-2007 @ 10:21PM
SUZANNE said...
THE JUDGES WERE NOT TRUE TO THEIR PROFESSION. MARCEL IS THE TOP CHEF, ILAN IS JUST A COOK. HE NEVER IS CREATIVE AND WOULD BE LOST WITHOUT SPANISH SPICES. MARCEL COULD GO ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD AND CREATE SOMETHING. THE JUDGES ARE TYPICAL AMERICAN-ONLY FOODIES. BET THEY NEVER LIVED IN OTHER COUNTRIES OR THEY WOULD KNOW I AM CORRECT.
Reply
2-01-2007 @ 10:56PM
Shcomu said...
Well, I was I puzzled and disappointed with the decision of the judges when they declared Ilan as Top Chef. What could have motivated them to make that decision? By no means would I ever qualify to be a chef of any sorts, but I love to look at the program because I appreciate the creativity involved. Naturally, I get hooked by the human nature drama, also. And on that point, I continued to admire how well Marcel handled himself in the face of a barrage of backbiting childishness sent his way by the other contenders. Why? I must have missed something Marcel did to create that situation. Yet, he remained professional for the most part with his eye on the prize, the food. To top it off, the young man could think, could creative, could be thoughtful in his presentations, could cook-at least that is what the judges said. Judges, dear hearts, I do believe you missed it this time, for certain. The top chef is, was and no doubt will be Marcel wherever he goes. I wish him well. Humbug to you, Judges!
Reply
2-02-2007 @ 4:57AM
Daniel Turner said...
Marcel totally should have won. He got hosed by his sous chefs - I think they left things behind on purpose. The Hamachi dish that Sam had a hand in fixing wouldn't have needed fixing if they hadn't screwed him, and Marcel would have gotten the credit for it. His salad dish was a bad idea, but compared to Ilan's complete lack of adaptability and creativity, I'd give Marcel the win. And I hate Ilan's (with Sam, Betty and Elia) childish petty hatred and schoolyard behavior.
Reply
2-02-2007 @ 8:41AM
laura said...
I loved seeing the JEALOUSY dripping off of Betty and Elia it was palatable. sam on the other hand, even though he looked dejected acted like an adult when it came to helping Marcel, i guarantee you if Betty or Elia got picked by marcel they would have done everything in thier power to sabotage him. I didnt get that they picked Ilan, Marcel clearly is the more innovative Chef, Ilan is a One trick pony.I wanted to shove his "secret suprise baby eels" down his throat!Seriously he was grinning about them like the judges had never had them before and he found them in friggin Atlantis or something. He isnt gracious, or professional, or even creative. In the end, betty got outed as a complete immature idiot "i bet his food wasnt even good" was she there this whole competition when Marcels food was praised by countless guest chefs? Anyway Marcel is the top chef in my book, Ilan can choke on his eel.
Reply
2-02-2007 @ 9:55AM
Traci said...
I thought it was really crazy that Marcel didn't win... until the fine print rolled across the screen at the end, informing me that not only do the JUDGES make the decisions, but the producers and people from the network do as well. Maybe they were going for a non-food-related, good vs. evil win, though calling Marcel evil is definitely a stretch. Maybe Ilan's food was good, but I felt he lacked sincerity as well as culinary creativity. You win some, you lose some! :)
Reply
2-02-2007 @ 11:18AM
logicalmind said...
This is one of those situations where I wish the judging was more like Iron Chef. Where the ratings are categorized and counted. I would like to see something like taste scores and creativity scores. I have a feeling that Marcel lost big marks on leadership, kitchen management, and motivation. Though, going back an episode, Chef Tom flat out said that "he doesn't care what happens in the kitchen".
Reply
2-02-2007 @ 2:39PM
Kelly Oberlin said...
I was bitterly disappointed that Ilan won. What a little weasel he is! There was no way he came up with his dishes spontaneously--he lied through his teeth. The other chefs picked on Marcel because they knew from the beginning that he was far superior to all of them. The guest chefs at the final dinner all preferred Marcel's food, or that might just have been the editing. Then Ilan went on to insult Harold, the first Top Chef, during an interview after the show. It's also a slap in the face to the judges that he's going to use the money to "travel" instead of to open a restaurant. I thought Marcel handled defeat very well, and I have no doubt he'll become a huge success on his own.
Reply
2-02-2007 @ 5:57PM
Dmnkly said...
Hey, I was pulling for Marcel too, but I think he really stumbled in the final challenge and earned himself second place. Even if it had worked perfectly, that salad was just a bad, bad, bad idea. I don't care how cool the vinaigrette vehicle may have looked, you can't come to the Top Chef finals and do a greens and radish salad with yuzu vinaigrette. It was a choice that perfectly captured all of Tom's very valid criticisms of Marcel. I'm all for funky creative technique, but the technique drove the dish instead of the other way around. Marcel was so caught up in finding a vehicle for his teardrops that he never stopped to think that such a ho-hum dish might be a lousy. He hasn't yet learned that creativity is only valuable if it's relevant, and I think that's what Tom meant when he said that "one chef needs a little more time in the bottle". While I can't stand Ilan, he came out, executed when it counted and earned that title. I don't think he beats Marcel on a good day, but Marcel didn't have a good day.
Reply
2-02-2007 @ 6:11PM
Dmnkly said...
Sorry for the postscript, but I also think everybody sells Ilan short when it comes to creativity and adaptability. Yes, all of his food was Spanish-influenced, but that's what he knows and that's what he does and there's nothing wrong with that. What he did was take the Hawaiian ingredients and make them his own. You saw that especially in the second to last episode, where the judges commented about how his combination of Spanish and Hawaiian was incredibly thoughtful and perfectly executed, and then you saw it again in the final with his Moi with Macadamia Gazpacho. It may be less flashy than coffee caviar and vinaigrette teardrops, but making those kinds of careful choices is no less creative.
Reply
2-04-2007 @ 1:33PM
James said...
The only think that I can think happened was that line in the credits that Traci mentioned in post 5, that the producers really run the show as there was a huge disconnect...guess it's really all about either who you know or the great American $$$$. Why then Sam didn't win based on the last second change in judgment in wanting the "safe" dish I don't know...
Reply