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Top Chef: It’s An Italian Showdown!

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February 2, 2011 09:30:57 by Shayla Perry

Tonight, in an all new episode of Bravo’s Top Chef: All-Stars, it’s time for the cheftestants to show the judges what they’ve got when it comes to preparing authentic Italian dishes. Will the three Italian chefs be able to impress guest judge Lorraine Bracco of The Sopranos? Keep reading for everything you missed!

It’s an all new episode of Top Chef: All-Stars, and tonight, Lorraine Bracco of HBO’s The Sopranos is serving as a guest judge on the hit Bravo reality show to critique the 9 remaining cheftestants’ ability to make a traditional three course Italian meal.

But first, the chefs enter the Top Chef kitchen to find Padma Lakshmi and famed fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi. For their Quickfire Challenge, the contestants are shocked to learn that their dishes will not be tasted, but for the first time in Top Chef history, they’ll be judged on presentation alone!

Carla, who has modeling experience, and Angelo, who was once intrigued by food styling, are both feeling pretty confident, but many of the chefs are  having a hard time not being able to focus on the taste of their food.

Antonia has a different strategy, instead of cooking anything, she’s constructing a sculpture out of food inspired by the book, “The Giving Tree.”

Dale, Tre, and Angelo’s dishes were at the bottom three, while Fabio, Carla, and Richard’s were Mizrahi’s favorites. Richard’s ice cream dish eventually won and he was awarded Immunity for the Elimination Challenge.

After the Quickfire, Padma Lakshmi tells the cheftestants about one of the most exclusive restaurants in New York City, Rao’s, where tables are not reserved, but passed down from generation to generation. Padma then instructs Angelo to select a knife from the block, and one by one, the chefs select knives with names on them. Then, in walk Frankie No, and the others from Rao’s, who will each help the three teams decide on what dishes to make for the challenge.

Each team will be responsible for making one part of a three course Italian meal, and many of the contestants–not only Mike Isabella, Antonia, and Fabio– are thinking that they’re going to do well on this one.

With 5 minutes to go, the chefs rush to prep their food before leaving for Rao’s.

The chefs enter the dining room of the 114 year old establishment and are blown away by the nostalgia. When they start cooking, Tiffany’s first batch of polenta catches on fire, and Antonia worries about whether or not her mussels will please the judges.

The judges, along with guest judge, Lorraine Bracco from The Sopranos, arrive at the restaurant and toast to their upcoming meal.

Carla’s minestrone is good, but the judges are very impressed with Tiffany’s polenta stuffed with sausage, and LOVE Antonia’s mussels in white wine.

For the next course, Mike Isabella is serving his pasta, but has to wait until the very last minute to cook it. Dale’s dish does not sit well with the judges, and Tre’s risotto also fails to impress, but the worst is Mike Isabella’s pasta, which isn’t cooked well at all, and the judges wonder why he didn’t just use dried pasta.

The final course is then served, and Fabio’s chicken cacciatora with polenta is the star, while Angelo’s pork is a little too complicated for many of the judges.

In the stew room, Padma Lakshmi calls for Antonia, Fabio, Carla, and Tiffany to come before the judges and she informs them that they had the top dishes of the challenge, which makes Tiffany, who was concerned after her performance during the Restaurant Wars challenge, burst into tears.

The winning dish goes to Antonia, though Fabio feels that her dish was more French than Italian.

When Antonia tells the others that she won, they’re stunned, since her dish wasn’t complicated at all. Antonia then sends Dale, Mike Isabella, and Tre to judges’ table to face the judges and explain what went wrong with their dishes.

Dale’s dish was too bland, Tre’s risotto wasn’t cooked properly, nor was Mike Isabella’s pasta, so who would go home?

In the end, it was Tre who was asked to pack his knives and go.

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Photo credit: BRAVO

Topics: Bravo Reality TV Shows, Top Chef |

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