10.31.09 · 12:04 PM

Top Chef Episode 10: Bartolotta live

Let’s start with the branzino. Salt-crusted with a citrus sauce, the baked fish that the Top Chef: Las Vegas chef’testants were chowing at Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare during Wednesday night’s episode was flavorful and melt-in-your-mouth moist. I know, because I was eating it while I watched. In honor of his appearance as a guest judge on Top Chef, Paul Bartolotta hosted a watch party in the chef’s room of his Wynn Las Vegas restaurant. Friends, family and local media ate, ... Read more...

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10.29.09 · 2:21 PM

The Jet Stream: Sex, TV dinners and Bartolotta

Ding dong, Mike I. is gone. You all know that I’ve chaired the Mike I. Hater Society. Last night’s episode embodies why I‘ve always hated on Mike. He spent almost 10 weeks tummy sucked in, shoulders out, touting, I’m a big dog here and I know all types of cuisine, I can cook anything! Was I the only one that noticed he had the same pattern every episode? 1: No matter what the challenge was, he was like, “Oh, I ... Read more...

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10.27.09 · 4:52 PM

Top Chef Odds Week 10: Portman and Paul

This week, the remaining Top Chef chef’testants (they’re dropping like flies!) will have to do battle in front of two intimidating personalities: actress Natalie Portman and James Beard Award-winning chef Paul Bartolotta. So, who’s scarier to cook for, the attractive ingenue or the master of Italian seafood? Oddly, this weeks odds are betting on Kevin, who has managed to keep his cool throughout this season, but delivered a poorly cooked lamb last week - a dish designed by Laurine - ... Read more...

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10.27.09 · 12:24 PM

“Top Chef” sweetens up with pastry series “Just Desserts”

Move over savory, “Top Chef” is going sweet. Yesterday, Bravo announced that the Emmy Award-winning culinary competition is spawning a pastry edition to be cleverly titled “Top Chef: Just Desserts”. The new show will feature pastry chefs from around the country battling “Top Chef”-style over tarts, cakes, ice cream and other confections in a variety of challenges. (Can one be building a life-sized statue of Padma out of chocolate? Please?) Desserts have long been an Achilles heel for chef’testants on ... Read more...

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10.25.09 · 1:02 PM

Top Chef Episode 9: Choose your own adventure

Whenever we enter a restaurant we are presented with the culinary equivalent of a choose-your-own-adventure book. Instead of deciding whether to investigate the hedge maze (bad, bad idea) or head to the library (just watch out for well-aimed candlesticks) we pick between beef carpaccio and roasted beet salad and muse over salt-crusted snapper or braised short ribs. On Wednesday night’s episode of “Top Chef: Las Vegas,” the chefs were presented with a choose-your-own-adventure relay race Quickfire that was both a ... Read more...

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10.22.09 · 5:03 PM

The Jet Stream: The fog of Restaurant Wars

The one episode of Top Chef that everyone wants to win is always Restaurant Wars. It’s no surprise the best cheftestants in Top Chef history bring the best restaurant. This week was all about teamwork. We open with Mr. Sustainable Seafood (applause) Rick Moonen judging a blind relay cook-off — a very clever concept with 10 minutes of cooking per person and each chef not knowing what was happening before they take over. Jennifer leads her team to a win ... Read more...

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10.21.09 · 3:42 PM

Top Chef Odds Week 9: Restaurant Wars

Tonight knives will come out, egos will flare and illusions of grandeur will die in a flurry of flames on the burners at RM Seafood. “Top Chef” institution Restaurant Wars will play out on this evening’s episode as the remaining chef’testants split into teams to create restaurants and do culinary battle. For the past two weeks, Sir Red Beard, Kevin Gillespie, has reigned over “Top Chef: Las Vegas” with his nonchalant style and upscale comfort food. Will he continue his ... Read more...

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10.15.09 · 6:23 PM

The Jet Stream: Viva the V bro battle

OK, OK, you know what the worst complimenting item this week was? Even worse than Robin’s sweet corn panna cotta with avocado mousseline (Insert homage to jack-ass retching here)? It was Padma’s Quickfire outfit! It was kind of “Back to the Future”-esque. Something between Pocahontas meets “Fifth Element” meets “War Craft.” Cream leather knee high boots with a matching ultra wide bow-tie theme belt - can I just ask who the hell is dressing this woman? It’s like there is ... Read more...

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10.15.09 · 3:11 PM

Top Chef Episode 8: Charlie Palmer University

Welcome, dear chefs, to Charlie Palmer U, a place where the master chef holds court on all things pork and welcomes students with polished palettes and creative concepts. Student body: A tad older than the average frat house. School uniform: Whites. Major: Culinary excellence. Minor: Perfect pairings. Professor: Sir Charlie Palmer himself. Roll call! I won’t say that Charlie Palmer schooled the chef’testants during last night’s episode of “Top Chef: Las Vegas.” That would be a tad harsh. He did, ... Read more...

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10.13.09 · 5:18 PM

Top Chef Odds Week 8: Voltaggios reign no more

The wonder brothers, Bryan and Michael Voltaggio, are no longer at the head of the Top Chef: Las Vegas class. Not, at least, according to Wynn Las Vegas Director of Race & Sports Operations Johnny Avello. Kevin Gillespie’s impressive performance on last week’s episode has catapulted the red-haired southern boy into the top slot where he’s comfortably sitting atop 2 to 1 odds. Will the V boys manage to climb their way back to the top of the odds for ... Read more...

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10.12.09 · 10:29 AM

Top Chefs go Stir Crazy in Sin City

So far, Top Chef: Las Vegas has been all about the food. And that’s a good thing. The chef’testants are a strong bunch, with serious skills that have been put to good use on a number of interesting challenges. But not quite as flavorful as the dishes they present has been the on-camera interaction between the chefs. Quite frankly, they’re a bit boring. Or, maybe they’re just bored. Talk to almost any Top Chef competitor after their time in the ... Read more...

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10.9.09 · 12:49 AM

Top Chef Episode 7: Stressed, Tangy, American

There are a lot of words that could describe the chef’testants remaining this season on Top Chef: Las Vegas. Determined, for instance, or confident and creative. Monotone, applies to some, as does masterful or flailing. The words translate into their cooking each week, too, as the chefs serve up dishes that not only reflect their culinary strengths but also their mental states. This week’s episode of Top Chef: Las Vegas started off with three words and a local tradition: the ... Read more...

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10.8.09 · 2:04 PM

The Jet Stream: Tastes like umami, homey

This week’s Quickfire was a Cookster.com challenge where the chef’testants got three key words and needed to cook a dish around those three words. It was a fun challenge, because it’s broad, as long as you are somewhere within or near the keywords. Some chefs embraced it better than others, who over-promised and under-delivered. The “You sir/ma’am deserve a culinary bitch slap” dishes were: Eli: Words: Stressed, Umami, Latin American. Dish: Mushroom ceviche with avocado. Not just OMG but OMFG ... Read more...

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Featured Cocktail

Cocktail of the Week May 15, 2013
by Sabrina Chapman

The Golden Pillar: An architectural cocktail built for XS

This Sunday, XS nightclub celebrates the grand reopening of its after-dark pool party, Night Swim. Along with the bash comes a new offering of signature cocktails served by the pitcher, ...
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