"If I get the $100,000 [win the competition], I'm gonna jump on that day," beamed Hubert Keller.
Keller did not jump.
In a season-ending, 3-chef showdown that aired Wednesday night on Bravo, Rick Bayless (Frontera Grill and Topolobampo) bested Michael Chiarello (founder of Tra Vigne, Bottega) and local favorite Hubert Keller (our town's SLeeK and Burger Bar). This was the final episode of the first Top Chef Masters series on Bravo, a competition that started with the top 24 chefs in America and got whittled down to three.
I did not see all the episodes but several (like this one) were highly entertaining. In tonight's final epsode, the chefs had to tell "the story of their lives" using 4 different dishes (first food memory, becoming a chef, the first restaurant opening, and where you're heading as a chef). The surprise in this competition was that the chefs were joined by their right-hand men ... the sous-chefs from their respective restaurants.
The menus, exit interviews and other commentary can be found on Bravo's website. My quickie summary: Chiarello was finally at the top of his game, Keller was done in by a clove of underblanched garlic, and Rick Bayless...well, let's just say the mole that took him 20 years to perfect, the mole that blew away all 3 judges, is tempting enough all by itself to summon a roadtrip to Lincoln Park. Check that ... after Bayless' performance tonight, it will be a months before that's advisable.
Better advice comes from Lumiere Place ... a press release tonight tells us that Chef Keller will be showcasing some of the dishes from Top Chef Masters at both SLeeK and Burger Bar (their everyday menus are accessible here) over the next few weeks. You might wanna book that trip instead ... and keep in mind the words of judge James Oseland, editor-in-chief of Saveur magazine:"You feel so safe when Hubert is cooking." -- George Mahe
