Hellloooo, did anyone hear the name of Brian’s winning dish on Top Chef last night?
Not a coincidence, it was clearly a nod to Chino Latino of Uptown. When I was out there in March, while Brian was secretly “on leave” for “family reasons”, I snapped the above picture of one of the coolers in his kitchen. Once upon a time, when Oceanaire and Parasole were more closely linked, Brian actually spent a few days in the Chino kitchen during his training.
Shiny moment aside, I thought his seafood sausage was brilliant. It’s creative while remaining humble, which is the soul of BBQ. It was one of those dishes that made me wonder why we aren’t all grilling up a batch. What a perfect creation for the gang at Sea Salt.
And did you notice his penchant for talking to the guest? I’d put money on the fact that with any challenge which relies on guest input, Brian will sway away with the votes. He’s that guy, the one women want to giggle at and guys want to fist bump.
As for the others: I now officially like Hung, because even though he’s a cocky little sucker, he hustles and his food backs it up … What the hell is Joey Buttafuco doing there? His first dish was safe and average and his second dish was average and boring. One of my NY friends is mortified that he’s representin’ … CJ is funny. And not just because he has a fake testicle … Howie’s got one more chance, he’s already tied to the chopping block … I loved Tre’s hubris after winning one challenge, he’s king of the heap!
And so far, Micah is the only memorable woman, and that’s because she’s a sobber?! Come on ladies, let’s kick some ass!
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