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'Top Chef' Las Vegas Power Rankings: 'Restaurant Wars'

October 22nd, 2009 2:18pm EDT Post a comment 1 comment Add to My News

The Restaurant Wars episode is popular for a lot of reasons, but it's also important because it exposes weaknesses we haven't seen before. On the flip side, we get to see who rises to the top in a strenuous, real-life work environment.

And last night's episode was very revealing. One chef stepped out of the shadows and snatched the front-runner label in a convincing performance that made me reevaluate what a "Top Chef" must be: a great leader who's uniquely talented.

Tom Colicchio called the winning restaurant the best in the six-season history of Restaurant Wars, and Toby Young said he would award it 3 stars if he were writing a review. Coming from two harsh judges, that's extremely high praise, and it should be attributed to the chef who was the restaurant's heart and soul...

*Last week's ranking in parenthesis.

1) MICHAEL VOLTAGGIO (3)

Michael is a lot of things - loud, overbearing, controlling, cocky - but he's also the most creative chef on the show and knows how to perform when the stakes are high. While everyone else was content to take a back seat or, even worse, delegate responsibility, Michael stuck his neck out and assumed a leadership role on what could be considered the less-talented team (Michael, Bryan, Eli, and Robin versus Kevin, Jennifer, Mike, and Laurine). The judges loved his dishes and could see that he was ultimately responsible for his team's great dinner service.

2) BRYAN VOLTAGGIO (2)

Yet another rock solid performance for the elder Voltaggio, but he didn't do anything spectacular that would vault him back into the top spot. At this point, it seems inevitable that the two brothers will be competing against each other in the finale. My favorite Bryan moment from last night was when he said, "I can't wait for Restaurant Wars…it's the most exciting episode of the season," in a deadpan voice with no facial expression. Hilarious.

3) KEVIN GILLESPIE (1)

Would anyone have eaten that lamb dish that Kevin made? I'm all for medium-rare meat, but I don't want something that's capable of walking off the plate. Aside from the bad food, it was disappointing to see Kevin fail to take a leadership role on his team. This was a big opportunity for him to show a more assertive side, but it never happened.

4) JENNIFER CARROLL (4)

Whew! If it weren't for Laurine, Jennifer would've been sent home. She took on way too much work in the kitchen and didn't know when to say when. Jennifer needs to know that not everything can be perfect all the time, and it's OK to prepare some components in advance. Like one of the judges said, "No matter how great a chef you are, once you get in the weeds, it's over."

5) ELI KIRSHTEIN (5)

Credit Eli for doing a nice job with the front of house on the winning team. Despite looking like a modern version of Frankenstein in his outfit, Eli explained each dish well and kept a cool demeanor; the judges were very impressed. On a side note, I was watching an old episode of "Iron Chef America" the other night and Richard Blais (season 4) was the challenger and Eli was one of his sous chefs! It was fun to see two "Top Chef" contestants in a different light.

6) MIKE ISABELLA (6)

When your most memorable dish is asparagus with an egg of top, you've officially faded into the background of an episode. However, Mike was the only one on the losing team who didn't seem to have anything to worry about at the judges' table.

7) ROBIN LEVENTHAL (8)

Robin's dessert looked excellent and it was well received by the judges. But it was clear that she was the weak link on the winning team. When Robin tried to assert herself in the kitchen, Michael put her back in her place. She's not a "Top Chef." Her luck will finally run out next week.

8) LAURINE WICKETT (7)

I don't usually like seeing contestants pack their knives for doing a poor job with front-of-house service, but I'll make an exception in Laurine's case. Just watching her on TV was uncomfortable, so it must've been considerably worse in real life. Let's be happy Laurine was around to take the fall for her team's lackluster performance.

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