Top Chef Texas Premieres Tonight On Bravo TV 9/8C

Tom & Padma in Top Chef Texas

Seconds ago I saw this ad on my Durango TV Blog. I then checked to make sure what the ad was telling me was correct.

It was.

Tonight Top Chef Texas has its premiere on Bravo at 10/9C.

Top Chef Texas takes place in Austin, San Antonio and the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

I was at the Fort Worth Stockyards a week ago today. As I was sitting on a bench beside the main street that runs through the Stockyards I saw a beautiful brunette in cowboy boots and a short skirt walking towards me with a group of less beautiful sorts. From a block away I thought it was Padma Lakshmi. I was soon to be disappointed that it was not Padma.

Celebrity Chef, Tim Love, who has been on Top Chef and Top Chef Masters, has two restaurants in the Fort Worth Stockyards, the Love Shack and the Lonesome Dove Bistro. I suspect Tim Love will show up on Top Chef Texas.

Former Top Chef cheftestant, Casey Thompson, was associated with a restaurant in Fort Worth, the Brownstone, but she was rarely there and has now moved on to a new restaurant in California's wine country.

Tre Wilcox, who was on both Top Chef and Top Chef All-Stars, has a restaurant in Dallas. I believe Tre ceased being Executive Chef at Loft to open his own restaurant, named, I think, Marquee Grill.

Defunct Restaurant Go Fish Boat Club's Website

Fan favorite, Tiffany Deery was Executive Chef at Go Fish Ocean Club in Dallas. However, according to Dallas News "DRG Concepts has closed Go Fish Ocean Club , the North Dallas restaurant where "Top Chef" star Tiffany Derry ruled the stoves."

I thought I remembered reading that Tiffany had moved on, but not that her restaurant had closed.

Go Fish Boat Club still has a website up and running, on which they feature Tiffany Deery. Maybe with the recovering economy the restaurant re-opened and re-hired Tiffany.

I must remember to make sure my DVR is set to record Top Chef Texas.

Top Chef All Stars: Casey Thompson Packs Her Knives & Leaves Because of Bad Chicken Feet

Incompetent Jamie keeps on cooking badly, while good chefs get sent home on Top Chef All Stars.

First Jen Carroll, then Spike Mendelsohn. And now Casey Thompson have been rolled over by the Jamie steamroller.

After a couple week absence the first Top Chef episode of the New Year started off annoying, with creepy Mike Isabella winning the Quickfire Challenge, getting both immunity from elimination and a brand new Toyota Prius.

Isabella was as insufferable winning as you can imagine. And then was a mess handling the dim sum expediting on the bizarre Dim Sum Elimination Challenge.

Now, I know a lot of the actual Top Chef All Stars, like Bryan Voltaggio, and others, turned down being on TC All Stars because they were too busy. But were the producers so desperate that they had no other options but to add Isabella as an All Star? Do not they read the Internet TV Forums. Viewers can not stand this guy.

Putting Mike Isabella on Top Chef All Stars is as bizarre as Big Brother putting the repugnant non-All Star, Mike "Boogie" Malin, on Big Brother All-Stars. Boogie won BB All Stars. Does this portend an equally bizarre ending to Top Chef All-Stars?

The Quickfire with Tom Colicchio whipping out a dish at warp speed, with the Chefs then having to whip out a dish just as fast, well, that was entertaining. Except for Isabella winning.

Dale's attempt at Pad Thai was a disaster in the Quickfire. Not a good omen for the Elimination Challenge. Which Dale won anyway, despite his Quickfire woes. But, Dale got no good prize for winning, nothing, no car, nothing.

The Elimination Challenge seemed a setup for failure. Cooking in an alien kitchen in New York City's Chinatown. And then making 2 of the chefs be the dim sum servers. That is just wrong. If you are testing how well they do as chefs, why throw such a curve? Casey and super lovable Carla volunteered to be the servers, leaving the final preparation of their dishes to their competitors.

How fair is that?

Carla's spring rolls did not require much help. But, Casey's chicken feet did. Antonio was supposed to send out Casey's feet, but didn't. At some point Casey headed back to the kitchen to work on her feet. But it was too late.

Everyone hated Jamie's two dishes. Everyone also hated Casey's. Everyone thought it would be Jamie who was sent packing, including Jamie.

Instead it was my Fort Worth neighbor, Casey Thompson, who Padma told to pack her knives and go. Somehow I think Casey was not all that sad to be free of that madhouse.

From next week's previews it appears the chefs will be cooking on a boat, along with fishing. Will Jamie slide on by another week? Or will someone throw her overboard?