A Little Top Chef Reading

Don't forget your list of Top Chef Blogs. (Top Chef airs on Bravo, Weds nights at 10:00 p.m.) It's easy to add these to your reader (I use Bloglines) so updates automatically appear. New posts usually pop up the Thursday morning after a new episode. Note that semi-local chef Brian Malarkey (exec chef of The Oceanaire in San Diego who trained here under Ryan Nelson) is still hanging in there, this week on the winning team with a shrimp tartare.

Thom Collichio's blog -- Thom usually gives insight in some of the judges decisions. But, he's currently opening a restaurant so not blogging as much.

Gail Simmons' blog -- Gail is a food critic for a living so don't expect her to always paint a rosy picture. She's honest -- sometimes brutally so -- and gives us her take on an episode whether she judged or not. Usually interesting reading, especially with regards to some of their decisions.

Ted Allen's blog -- While I wasn't so impressed with Ted Allen on Queer Eye, he's shown he knows his stuff as he judges on Top Chef. Filling in for Gail as she's been gone, Ted has stepped up from cheesy food fluff guy to able judge. He's criticisms are often spot on and he understands the dynamics of competition and how it influences the cheftestants' decisions. (Here he actually updates viewers on lobster and how the judges unfairly dressed down Brian Malarkey for using a high cholesterol seafood. Of course, Brian didn't know any better and didn't correct them either.)

And everyone's favorite snark-o-rama, Amuse Biatch: While lately, they've been overly focused on Faux-Micah who grew up in Massachusetts, not South Africa (hard to wonder how she escaped meatloaf that whole time) and Lady Rushdie's divorce (apparently it's all about Salmon, Salmon, Salmon), they are a great source of amusement when it comes to spotting the chefs in real life. Plus, they do a killer recap. (Amuse Biatch goes down in my book as best name for a food blog *ever*.)

There are more blogs for Top Chef (from past contestants like Sam, Carlos, Marcel, Harold, and Lee Ann Wong) if you're that big a junky.

And if you're looking for more information on the Chaine des Rotisseurs, the international fine dining society featured in last night's episode, you can find out more through the Indianapolis chapter. It's an active and fun bunch of wine and food connoisseurs (plus they get to wear those cool sashes and chains.)

PS: I'm not watching Food Network Star, but Tony Bourdain is.