Top Chef

View Date: 12/2/09

Tonight was Part 1 of the finale, and the chefs were no longer in Vegas but had moved to the Napa Valley. In my opinion, this may be the best top 4 in the history of this show, and they definitely deserve to be there. Any of the remaining chefs can win this, so it should be a great competition. The four met up at a train station, but had no idea what was going on until a pregnant Padma got off the train with Michael Chiarello.

Quickfire: For the last quickfire challenge, the chefs had to cook with Napa's main crop, grapes. They were to cook on the train and serve to the judges. This was also a high stakes challenge, the winner of which would receive a Prius. Kevin expressed concern at the beginning due to his tendency toward motion sickness. The train's movement caused problems for all the contestants. They were also concerned because the Napa Valley Wine Train is known for excellent cuisine. The winner of the challenge and the Prius was Michael for using many parts of the grape in his dish.

Elimination: The chefs made their way to Rutherford Hills Winery. They had to cater the winery's annual crush party for 150 people, and each contestant had to prepare two dishes. One had to be vegetarian, while the other had to feature a local protein. Aside from salt and pepper, all ingredients had to be grown locally. The chefs were, as always, crunched on time, and several took some serious risks in their dishes.

The judges were able to find both good and bad in the offerings of each chef, but they still had a decision to make. The winner of the challenge tonight was Bryan, which put him directly through to the finals. Jennifer was sent home, making it an all male finale. Honestly, the decision makes sense. The three guys really stepped it up the second half of the season, while Jen faltered several times.

10 words or less: The three best chefs are definitely moving on.