‘Top Chef’: Down to the final four

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As much as I’d hoped to see Lisa go last night, the Final Four has been chosen and she’s one of them. And when it came down to her performance last night versus Spike’s, I suppose she was the lesser of two evils.

Frozen. Scallops. Not much left to say after that. Actually, there is. Forget that they were frozen, they looked torn-up and horrible! No amount of technical prowess in the kitchen could have saved them. I did, however, enjoy him nailing Rick Tramonto for even having frozen scallops at his restaurants -- for shame, Rick! (Ted Allen blogs most eloquently on the cons of using frozen seafood, while Tom Colicchio explains why it was in Rick’s kitchen in the first place.)

I do give Spike total props for the way he butchered that massive rib roast. Wow.

To be fair, it didn’t really matter whether it was Spike or Lisa who’d fill the last spot anyway; it should have gone to Dale. Neither have proven themselves to be real contenders for the title. Lisa is a poor technician, period. She may do some interesting things with her flavor profiles -- I would have tried that peanut butter mashed potato concoction -- but if she can’t produce (or reproduce) her dishes with competent and consistent execution, her ideas matter little.

And that brings us to the Final Three, each of whom proved themselves in last night’s stripped down challenge. Let’s talk who should win...

My top two have been and still are Richard and Stephanie. Richard, because the guy makes interesting food and not just for the sake of being interesting. He seems to have a sense of humor that works on the plate and always highlights flavor before humor. Recall the film food episode and his ode to Willy Wonka; it floored Daniel Boulud. Now go check his record and compare it with the others in the final four. He’s clearly the most outside-the-box thinker in the group.

Then there’s Stephanie, who as Ted might say cooks the food I want to eat. There’s something comforting and soulful about everything she’s made for the show. She reminds me of a sweeter version of Tiffany from Season 1. These gals know how to cook filling yet creative meals. They’re also consistent -- Stephanie has been called out for a bad gamble on tomato, lemon, peanut butter couscous, but has yet to be nailed for poor technique.

I’ll admit Antonia is clearly proficient in the kitchen. My only problem with her is that her food doesn’t excite me. Mushroom salad versus Richard’s hamachi and Stephanie’s sweetbreads? I’d go with theirs in a heartbeat. I think Antonia plays it safe, which makes sense now that she said in last night’s episode that she’s a ‘picky eater.’ My own palate prefers more exotic flavors, which is probably why she’s a distant third in my rankings.

That’s where you come in Antonia fans. Remind me of the times she shined. Tell me why you’re rooting for her over the other two.

And if Lisa has any fans, let’s go head-to-head in the comments section below.

--Denise Martin