Judge Gael Greene. Photo: Bravo.

Is it just us, or are the Top Chef Masters judges unduly fond of alliteration? Usually it's Saveur's James Oseland who rocks the tongue-twisting final-round zingers -- so good in print, yet so weird to hear on basic cable.

Wednesday it was Gael Greene's turn, surprising us with an oh-so-delicately catty swipe at Swede Nils Norén's "lapsang lapse" of a dessert -- a cube of chocolate goat cheese ganache flanked by orange gel and a smoky, tea-infused cream.

Schizophrenic as it might have tasted, it looked delectable. And the former Aquavit chef deserved bonus integrity points for standing by his dish: "Growing up in Sweden, you smoke a lot of things," he explained, double entendre fully intended.

Sweden vs. California, opakapaka and lawn cuttings after the jump.

It was Noren's one-off taste in what was determined an otherwise impeccable trio of cocktail-party dishes. The elimination challenge would have seemed easy -- were it not for the fact that each chef had to cook each course for a huge crowd of 100 Top Chef foodie fans and sundry Bravo reality stars from "Project Runway."

This episode had everything you could ask for in an hour of reality TV, starting out as a showdown between the laidback, taciturn Swede and California's cocky showman Michael Chiarello, on loan from the Food Network stable of stars, camera-ready charm intact.

And there was even a comeback kid: sustainable-seafood guru Rick Moonen, who turned up a big fat zero in the initial challenge when his haute-cuisine interpretation of a corn dog, but later wowed the crowd with a opakapaka and barramundi ceviche that looked as bright and refreshing as a dip in the Pacific, topped only by his dessert offering of 100 perfect mini-panna cottas.

Chiarello squeezed by as the winner in the end with balsamic-marinated strawberries adorned with a scoop of basil gelato. But again, Greene got the last word: Initially dismissing it as "lawn cuttings in my dessert," she went on to bless its flavor profile with an emphatic, "I'm converted now!"

Here's hoping Bravo's producers don't fully convert her to the school of dorky sound bites.