Episode 2

Okay, so I know I'm a week behind...got a bit busy with my own top chef activities for Easter dinner and didn't get to watch TC4 until this week. To keep it short, the elimination challenge from Lincoln Park Zoo was fun to watch, having volunteered at LPZoo for over 10 years. The premise was that 5 teams of 3 cheftestants were named after 5 animals, lion, bear, vulture, penguin, and gorrilla and the teams had to prepare appetizers using foods that those animals would eat and they would have to cater to a fancy cocktail party for zoo patrons.

In the end the winner was the annoying Andrew, from the penguin team, who swore a lot in the first episode but didn't seem to be so obnoxious this episode...hmmmm. He made a ceviche and this glacier made out of yuzu (a Japanese fruit). Valerie, from the gorilla team, made some awful looking olive blinis that got soggy and was sent packing. I would have ditched either her or Nikki, from the bear team for making the "poo" looking stuffed mushrooms. I can't believe her team didn't tasted them before serving them. It seems a no-brainer to taste the food you are serving to anyone else, before you do so. Heck even I do that when I cook....duh!

For more reviews, visit the Top Chef website or read David Dust's blog.