Thoughts on Top Chef S6Ep8: Pigs and Wine

If you have not seen Top Chef Season 6 Episode 8, read no further. This post contains spoilers!

How’d you guys like the recent episode of Top Chef Las Vegas? Here are my random thoughts. Would love to hear yours!

• The show opens with Robin doing pilates. This lady is ripped! She can beat Eli’s butt anytime I’m sure.

• Branding is getting more and more overt huh. “Alexia Quickfire.” The chips look yummy anyway.

• Wow that’s a big belt, Padma. 😀

• Sweet Corn Panna Cotta with Avocado Mousseline by Robin sounds strangely intriguing to me. But oops. It’s one of the least successful dishes.

• Chef Palmer suggests Bryan’s Quickfire dish is safe. Aww. Safe can get boring eventually right?

• “…Not that I don’t deserve a F** win.” — Ash. Heehee. Awww.

• That wine tower at Aureole looks awesome. Would love to have one like that for books. Swing for books. Wee!

• Eli’s preparing dinner for his housemates and his scallops look delicious! And eating scallops right off the pan? Sounds like a great family dinner. And the boys sure preyed on the dish right away.

• Bryan sounds like Ray Romano.

• As the Elimination Challenge preps wrap up… Brother fight!!! And Michael seems to act like a prissy little brother as he continues to take his time at the Glad Wrap station and mummify his packed dish. Funny sibling rivalry!

• Aw,  I miss Ashley Merriman. She shouldn’t have gotten the boot last week anyway. I wonder what she would’ve prepared in this Elimination Challenge. Oh wellz.

• Kevin’s Pork Leg Pate looks yummy. I want a taste now! It looks simple and refreshing.

• The Top 4 in the Pork and Pinot challenge were Bryan, Mike V. Kevin and Jennifer. They’re definitely the Top 4 for the finals too.

• At the Stew Room, the chefs picking on Eli about hooking up with Robin was funny.  Prize moment:  Bryan asking Eli “You did?” in his deadpan voice and expression after his brother jokes that Eli slept with Robin.

• Poor Ash went home for not following his instincts. Gut feel always works eh? And he exclaims as he goes back into the Stew Room, “I forgot flavor!!!”

• Where is Gail? I like her at the Judges’ Table.

• Yey! Kevin-the-guy-with-a-pig-tattoo wins! This guy surely is the man to beat here. He can go really complex (remember his deconstructed mole?) and simple (terrine).  Yay for Kevin, who gets to be a guest chef at next year’s Pigs and Pinot event too.

• Laurine doesn’t know how to make a dish she thought she did. Robin’s dish was “slimy” and not porky enough. Ash’s dish  was “clammy” and didn’t have flavor. So Ash gets the boot.

• Restaurant Wars next episode. Brothers on the same team. With Robin and Eli. Woohoo! Drama ensues. Can’t wait!

I wonder who’s going home next week. My guess is Laurine. Robin seems to have luck on her side. While her dishes aren’t all that great based on what the judges say, there’s always a dish or two worse than hers.

My Top 5: Bryan. Mike V. Jen. Kevin. Ashley.

The dish I would love to have tasted: Mike V.’s Elimination Challenge Dish:  “Root Beer Braised Pork Cheek” paired with a 2006 Gunvalson Pinot Noir.

Hi! I'm Toni Tiu, and I've been blogging at at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.