Top Chef All Stars: Dale Levitski & Stephen Asprinio Out While Dale Talde Wins

I'm thinking if Top Chef All Stars keeps up being as good as it is being, that Top Chef will be winning its second Emmy in a row as Best Reality TV Show.

The latest episode was titled, "New York's Finest." This was not a reference to the police, but to New York's finest restaurants.

Which, apparently, are chef David Burke's Townhouse, David Chang's Ma Peche, Wylie Dufresne's wd-50 and Michael White's Marea.

The episode started with a Quickfire Challenge, judged, by, I think David Chang. Divided into 4 teams, the chefs had to properly prepare 4 ingredients, then cook them into something tasty. The winners got $5,000 each.

I forget who was on the team that won, but it was not Angelo's team, his was among the two that Chang liked least, which embarrassed Angelo, due to the fact that his team completed the preparation challenge first, had a big lead, and were the only team with enough time to cook the lamb.

For the Elimination Challenge the same teams visited New York's 4 Finest Restaurants. Were served those restaurant's food. And then had to make up a dish that fit in with that restaurant's chef's style.

I wanted to eat at each of those restaurants.

Angelo got on Tiffany's nerves with his constant analysis while they were tasting the food. That was pretty funny. Did Angelo get on Tiffany's nerves during their season together and we just did not get to see it?

Padma, Tom and the rest of the judges dropped in on the 4 restaurants to sample what the chefs had come up with. The owner of that restaurant decided what he liked least and best.

In the end, standing before Judges' Table at the bottom were Tiffani Faison, Dale Levitski, Fabio Viviani and Stephen Asprinio.

I find Stephen really funny to watch, due to him being such an odd pretentious little duck. I like Dale due to his comments, but, when I see him, I always think he needs a good scrubbing with an astringent soap and something to keep his eyes from watering.

But it was not Stephen being an odd little duck or Dale's watery eyes that got them told to pack their knives and get out of there. It was their food. Dale combined french toast with peanuts and popcorn and veal. Stephen's was just an all around mess.

For the winners, the way the commenting was going I thought it was going to be Angelo Sosa's 3rd win in a row, but instead the win went to the formerly angry, Dale Talde. Who is very happy when he wins. He even smiled. For winning, he won a trip to, I think it was New Zealand. I'm fairly certain it was not New England.

Along with Dale and Angelo, also at the top were Richard Blais and Antonio Lofaso.

I am liking Richard Blais this time around. He has a way of growing on you, I guess. That and he just seems way more natural than the somewhat forced way he acted during his initial Top Chef season. The other chef that I'm finding I like a lot more this time around in Marcel Vigneron. He still has this cocky way about him, but it seems to be mixed with a humble aspect that was not there before. And he is funny.

I'm liking Casey Thompson a lot too. I liked her on her season too. And then there was that unfortunate sous vide, or whatever you call it, suggestion she made to Carla, that messed Carla up in the finals of Carla's season.

Casey's restaurant is in my neighborhood. I could walk over and say howdy, if I had the energy, and she was available to be howdied.